Islamabad police arrest three TTP ‘extortionists’

The police in Islamabad have arrested three militants of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) after they demanded extortion money from businessmen in the federal capital and threatened the police with reprisal attacks.

The arrests were made by the counter-terrorism department (CTD) of police.

The militants were trying to extort money from businesses and educational institutes, a senior CTD official said.

One of the arrested militants is a former TTP commander from Swat, he said.

The militants were supported by their accomplices in Afghanistan, according to the official.

A CTD spokesperson said the militants sent letters to businessmen and owners of educational institutes, demanding large sums of money.

They demanded a total of Rs300 million in ten letters written to different people, the spokesperson said.

The militants had also written a letter to the CTD, threatening its officers with reprisal attacks if they acted against the extortionists, according to the spokesperson.

They used post-offices to send the letters.

The police would go after their accomplices based in Afghanistan, the spokesperson said.