Four suspected members of a banned separatist militant group were arrested in Karachi on Tuesday over charges of killing a man in Matli in Badin district, according to the Counter-Terrorism Department.

“The Karachi CTD and a federal intelligence agency jointly carried out an IBO [intelligence-based operation] at Drigh Road Station in Karachi and arrested four suspects,” according to a CTD press statement issued on Wednesday.

“They were arrested at a time when they were coming from Punjab to Karachi by train,” the press release added.

During interrogation, the suspects confessed that they had gunned down a man identified as Abdul Rehman in Matli on May 18, 2025, where a case was registered under terror charges.

“The weapon used in the murder has also been recovered from their custody, which has been sent to the police’s forensic science lab for investigation purposes,” the press release added.

The suspects also admitted that they had stayed at a hotel in Hyderabad for five days for the purpose of carrying out a targeted killing of their victim.

“They continued reconnaissance of Abdul Rehman till May 13 and when they got an opportunity on Sunday (May 18), they targeted the man outside a barber shop.”

The suspects were wanted in different cases in Punjab.

As per the statement, the investigation of the murder case was handed over to the CTD Karachi on the application of the complainant.

“The CTD assessed the case, obtained evidence from the crime scene in Matli and with the help of technical evidence and intelligence, traced the suspects and arrested them,” the statement added.

The Sindh police chief has announced a cash and appreciation certificate for the CTD team for arresting the suspects, according to the department’s spokesperson.

On Monday, three terrorists, including the mastermind behind the November 2024 attack on Chinese engineers, were killed during a counterterrorism operation in Karachi’s Manghopir area, CTD officials had said.

In June, the Sindh government made a hefty allocation of Rs179.7 billion for law and order, including security, law enforcement and prisons in Sindh for the financial year 2025-26.

In April, the CTD and an intelligence agency arrested a suspected militant belonging to the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in a raid in Karachi’s Lee Market.