From Abid Usman
LAHORE: The Organised Crime Unit (OCU) has made significant strides in cracking down on criminal activities in Punjab, with the recent arrests of individuals involved in supplying illegal weapons to suspected shooters responsible for the mosque shooting in Sialkot district’s Daska town last month.
The mosque shooting, which took the lives of three individuals, including Shahid Latif, a key figure associated with the banned militant group Jaish-e-Mohammad, sent shockwaves through the region.
Latif, who had a history of involvement in violent activities, had been in jail since his arrest in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in 1993, before his release in 2010. The Indian media had previously accused him of being linked to the attack on the Pathankot Airbase in 2016.
During a press conference held after the Daska shooting by IG Punjab Police Usman Anwar, it was revealed that the mosque shooting was a well-planned terrorist act executed by an intelligence agency of a hostile neighbouring country with alleged rogue tendencies.
The accused individuals, originating from Lahore, Pakpattan, and Sahiwal, had operated as a gang, conducting thorough reconnaissance of their target before carrying out the killings.
Addressing the media at OCU Headquarters Model Town today, SP OCU South Aftab Ahmad Phularwan, alongside DSP OCU Model Town Syed Hasnain Haider, disclosed that two key suspects, Sheraz Butt and Mamraiz Khan, had been arrested for their involvement in the supply of illegal weapons to suspected shooters, believed to be agents of a hostile foreign intelligence agency responsible for targeted killings in various parts of Punjab.
