LAHORE: With cooperation of an intelligence agency, Punjab police have arrested six notorious sectarian terrorists of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) and recovered a large number of arms and ammunition from their possession. A press statement issued by the police on Monday stated the arrested terrorists included Dilawar Hussain, Zahid Hussain, Omar Taj, Khalilur Rehman Tajki, Sajjad Hussain alias Babar and Hakim Abdul Aziz.

Arrested from different places of the province, they were shifted from Multan to Lahore on Monday and were at the Civil Lines police station under unprecedented security. The Punjab government had already announced Rs 2.2 millions as head money for these terrorists, the police statement said and added Rs one million was the head money for capture of Zahid Hussain, Rs 5,00,000 each for Dilawar Hussain and Omer Taj and Rs 2,00,000 for Khalilur Rehman.

The statement further said Dilawar Hussain was the Amir (divisional head) of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in Lahore, while Zahid Hussain, Omer Taj and Khalilur Rehman were the group's divisional heads in Multan. Zahid Hussain was involved in 17 cases of sectarian nature and three dacoities, while the statement said he had killed 39 people including 12 police officials of Multan. He mostly struck in the areas of Multan, Khanewal, Muzaffargarh and Quetta, the statement said.

Omer Taj had snatched 11 motorcycles from different areas and provided them to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi terrorists. He later joined the Lashkar and started terrorist activities himself. Taj and Zahid were also involved in the killing of 16 people who were offering prayer in a mosque in Muzaffargarh, while Dilawar Hussain was also involved in the attack at Khana-e-Farhang Iran, Multan and Mominpura massacre in Lahore.

Zahid, Omer Taj, Khalilur Rehman, Babar and Shahab Din shot injured a CIA inspector Ejaz Shafi Dogar in Multan, while Hakim Abdul Aziz belonged to Multan and harboured the Lashkar terrorists in his house. According to the initial interrogations, Zahid confessed his involvement in more than 20 sectarian motivated criminal activities and three dacoities. On 8 June 1998, Zahid along with Shahab Din and Abbas Inqalabi shot injured Dr Jafar Hussain near Daulat Gate, Multan.

On 10 September 1998, Zahid and Abbas Inqalabi killed Dr Iqbal Jafri in Multan, on 23 October 1998 Zahid, Usman Haideri, Qari Omer Hayat and Abbas Inqalabi killed two people in Piran Ghaib Road, New Multan area.

On 26 November 1998, Zahid Hussain, Usman Haideri and Abbas Inqalabi murdered Nazeer Hussain and took away his motorcycle.

On 28 January 1999, Zahid, Qari Khalil Tajki and Usman Haideri killed six people including five police officials at Gulistan Chowk, Multan. The statement said, on 22 June 1999, Zahid and Ghulam Shabbir killed three cops including an inspector of motorcycle squad of Multan police.

On 9 October 1999, Zahid and Saifullah Asad killed a constable and injured another near Khana-e-Farhang Iran in Multan.

On 1 January 2000, Zahid Abdul Wahid alias Nauman, Saidullah Asad, Sultan and Ramazan tried to commit a dacoity at the house of Abbas Khakwani, but Sultan was killed by Abbas Khakwani and his guards.

On 8 February 2000, Zahid, Usman Haideri and Khalil Tajki killed the renowned wrestler of Multan Zawar Hussain and his brother Ejaz Hussain.

On 23 April, 2000, Zahid and Asim Irfan alias Billa attacked a Zuljinah procession on 5th of Muharram in Multan and injured 15 participants.

On 13 August 2000, Zahid and Shahab Din killed two cops and injured another two in Multan.

Dilawar Hussain, the statement said, had killed Murtaza Raza, owner of a medical store, in Hasilpur on 11 July 1994. In November 1994, Dilawar, Ghulam Hussain and Nasrullah killed five people at the office of Tehrik-e-Jafria in McLeod Ganjh. Police reached the scene in time and arrested Dilawar and Ghulam Hussain from the spot.

On 2 May 1996, Malik Mohammed Ishaq, Ejaz alias Jaji, Amanat alias Makkhan, Shafique, Abdul Rasheed, Abu Bakar Usman and Javed managed to free Dilawar, Imran Ashraf and Ghulam Hussain along with six other prisoners from the custody of Hasilpur police when they were returning from a court.

On 11 January 1998, Dilawar, Shahid Haroon, Sanaullah, Shahzad, Farhan, Aziz Gujjar and others killed 23 people at Mominpura, Lahore. In the massacre 28 people also received injuries.

On 20 February 1998, Dilawar along with Malik Ishaq, Ghulam Rasool Shah, Hafiz Shafiqur Rehman, Zubair, Tanveer Khan, Yousaf, Shakeel Mustafa, Imran Ashraf and Sultan attacked Khana-e-Farhang Iran Multan and killed seven people including its director Mohammed Ali Rahimi.

About Omer Taj, the statement said he started his criminal life in 1997 from Muzaffargarh with robberies and snatching. Later, in 1999 he joined Lashkar and was involved in firing on a police inspector in Multan. Khalilur Rehman Tajki joined Lashkar in 1998 and got militant training in Afghanistan, the statement said adding he was involved in the killing of a renowned wrestler and his brother in Multan and many other incidents of heinous nature.

Babar Hussain is the real brother of Omar Taj and had recently joined Lashkar, the statement said adding he was also involved in the firing incident on a police inspector in Multan on 26 October 2000. Hakim Abdul Aziz belonged to Multan and was a close associate of Riaz Basra, the most notorious name in sect-motivated terrorism, the statement maintained.

It further said that Basra often used to reside in Abdul Aziz's house in Multan. Abdul Aziz told the police that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi had made its headquarter in Afghanistan, while Riaz Basra and Akram Lahori are residing in Kabul, the statement said adding three different teams of high officials had been constituted to further interrogate the arrested terrorists. Meanwhile, there was no word of any headway in the investigation of DSP Tariq Kamboh's murder till late Monday night. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi had claimed responsibility for Kamboh's killing.