Key Accused in Baldia Fire Arrested at Airport

Abdul Rehman, also known as Bhola, a key accused in the Baldia Town Fire case was arrested by law enforcement agencies on Friday at Karachi airport when he was trying to flee the country. Son of Abdul Sattar, Bhola was arrested from the airport just when he was about to board the flight PK-607. His record was checked by immigration officials and he was apprehended on Friday at about 3pm.

The Rangers were informed by the airport officials and the accused was handed over to the paramilitary force. According to reports, the factory was set on fire because the owners had refused to pay extortion money to a big political party in the city. The Rangers report cited a confession of Rizwan Qureshi, a suspected target killer, who had said that the fire at the factory was an organized crime. The Baldia factory owner had been ordered to pay RS. 200 million to a top leader of a political organization. When the political leader had been approached by the owners regarding the matter, he had feigned ignorance.

The report also highlighted that altercation had erupted between the political leader and the owners of the Baldia factory. Furthermore, it said that because of the accusation, the leader in question had been relieved of his duties in the political party. It was also mentioned in a report that chemical was deliberately spilled in the factory in order to set it on fire in reaction to the owners’ refusal to pay the extortion amount. The key accused, who is now in the custody of the Rangers, had also made some major revelations.

According to his allegations, RS 150 million had been obtained by a ‘front man’ from the factory owners for ‘winding up’ the issue. The fire had been set on September 11, 2012, in Baldia Town at Ali Enterprises, a garment factory, which had caused at least 258 people to burn alive.