DUBAI: Nov 02 (TNS): Authorities of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) confirmed late Wednesday they received a letter from Pakistani officials to hand over Hammad Siddiqui — the former chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) organising committee.
Siddiqui — the prime suspect in the 2012 Baldia factory fire case — was arrested by Interpol last Thursday in coordination with Dubai police and Pakistan authorities and was transferred from Bur Dubai police station to the city’s police headquarters in Deira, local officials said.
Local authorities detained the suspect, who is wanted for various heinous crimes, in an apartment located on Naif Road in Dubai’s Deira locale, the sources added.
Police have received an official letter through Pakistan’s mission in Dubai, sources told Geo News; however, the officials from Pakistani Consulate in Dubai neither denied nor accepted the recent development.
The Pakistani consulate in Dubai had been making arrangements to send Siddiqui back to the country, sources revealed, adding that he is likely to be brought to Karachi once legal requirements in the UAE are completed.
Siddiqui is the prime suspect in the 2012 Baldia factory fire incident, in which 260 people — mostly factory workers — were burnt alive and numerous others were injured.
He was the in-charge of the MQM’s Karachi Tanzeemi Committee (KTC) and moved to Dubai at the end of 2013 after his party membership was suspended for violating discipline.
A few months ago, Moazzam Ali — the prime suspect in the Imran Farooq murder case — had told the investigation team that he had arranged London visas for two alleged hitmen on Siddiqui’s directives.
It is interesting to note that Siddiqui had his passport renewed from the Pakistani Consulate in Dubai in 2014; however, it was blocked by the Interior Ministry a year later.
In 2016, the anti-terrorism court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for him.
Sources also informed Geo News that Siddiqui — who was being rigorously pursued by authorities in Dubai for the past three months — used to change his residence frequently in the Emirates.
He was finally detained by Interpol on a tipoff, which noted his arrival last week in the Naif area of Dubai’s Deira locale.
