Police have busted a gang involved in extorting money from citizens during property and land transactions in Karachi.

The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the CIA carried out a raid and arrested three key members of the Lyari gang war’s Shakeel Badshah group from the North Karachi industrial area.

SSP Amjad Shaikh said the suspects opened fire on police during the operation, but officers managed to apprehend all three through a tactical response.

Police recovered three 9mm pistols and several rounds of ammunition from their possession.

Initial investigation revealed that the gang conducted surveillance of individuals buying or selling property, posing as real estate agents to collect owners’ personal details.

They would then make extortion calls using foreign phone numbers.

According to police, the ringleader of the group has extorted hundreds of thousands of rupees from citizens so far.

The group members involved in reconnaissance were paid between Rs90,000 and Rs200,000 for their role, with payments transferred via mobile money services such as JazzCash.

The arrested accused were identified as Tanveer, Shakeel, and Waqas. They are also wanted in cases of car theft, armed assault on police, and possession of illegal weapons.