Red Book fugitive held

A TTP militant carrying a Rs30 million government bounty on his head and wanted in 19 serious cases in KP has been arrested in Karachi, with police recovering a hand grenade from his possession. The suspect, Niekhtiar alias Gul Badshah, was arrested during a raid based on intelligence information in the jurisdiction of the Docks police station, according to police. Police said he belonged to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Sufi Mohammad Group in Dir and had allegedly served as an area commander in KP. The suspect is listed among the highly wanted militants in the third edition of the Red Book published by the CTD, KP. The provincial govt had announced a Rs30 million reward for information leading to his arrest, police said. The suspect was allegedly involved in anti-state activities, terrorism, vehicle theft and kidnapping for ransom. He had also travelled to Afghanistan several times for training, the spokesperson added. Police said he was wanted in 19 serious cases registered at Och police station in Lower Dir and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Further investigation is under way.