The Rangareddy district police in Andhra Pradesh on Friday arrested four persons belonging to a gang called Darsgah-e-Jehad-o-Shahadath, a Muslim fundamentalist organisation, for committing the murders of nine persons [all Hindus] over the last 10 months.

District Superintendent of Police M V Ramachandra Raju said the youths, in the age group of 20 to 25 years, had committed the murders to avenge post-Godhra riots in Gujarat.

The leader of the gang, identified as Imtiaz (25), a lorry driver, is still at large.

The four arrested persons are hotel owner Jaffer Khan (24), bakery worker Akbar alias Laddu (21), car driver Mukhtar (20), and Khalid (25). They have been charged with murder, robberies, extortion and conspiracy to cause communal discord and foment violence.

Raju said the accused had eliminated nine persons and committed 12 robberies since April 2002. Their modus operandi was to pick up people from the bus-stands, take them to the outskirts of the city in an ambassador car, and kill them by slitting their throats.

"All the five members of the gang are activists of fundamentalist Darsgah-e-Jehad-o-Shahadath based at Saidabad in Hyderabad. The DJS, headed by Mahboob Ali, has five more branches in the city.  It imparts training in martial arts and combat techniques to its members," Ramachandra Raju said.

This gang started committing robberies, extortions and murders for gain in the Rangareddy district and Hyderabad from April 2002 onwards. A thorough interrogation of the arrested persons revealed their involvement in sensational cases.

"The culprits used to select only one section [community] of people after enquiry and killing or robbing them. The killers started their operation after the Godhra incident and communal riots in Gujarat," he added.

They first committed extortion at Ghatkesar on January 31, 2002, wherein they robbed a person of Rs 16,000 cash, two and a half tolas of gold. Later, they extorted Rs 20,000 from another person on March 20.

Acting on a tip-off, the Hayathnagar police apprehended Jaffer Khan on January 29 this year. On the information provided by him, the police nabbed Mukhtar, owner of the car used in the crimes, Khalid and Laddu. All the accused have been remanded to judicial custody, Raju said.