Police have arrested more than 20 people, including Sunni Tehreek chief Engineer Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, during a raid on his residence in Karachi’s Nazimabad area, officials and party representatives said on Saturday.

According to a Sunni Tehreek spokesperson, police conducted a late-night raid at Qadri House and detained senior office-bearers and workers, including officials from the Karachi division.

The spokesperson strongly condemned the action, alleging that police violated the sanctity of the home and used force to suppress the party’s voice.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Imran Khan said the raid was carried out on the identification of a suspect named Rehan, who had earlier been arrested in connection with extortion and firing incidents in the Jamshed Quarters area.

He stated that several suspects, including Jawad Qadri, also known as Khawaja, and Shahzeb Mulla, were arrested from the premises.

Police claimed a large cache of weapons, including small and heavy arms and multiple ammunition magazines, was recovered during the operation.

Officials said the arrested suspects have previous criminal records and were operating networks linked to alleged extortion gang leaders Samad Khatiawari and Wasiullah Lakho. The suspects were also wanted in multiple cases, police added.

Separately, police sources said more than 10 individuals, including Jawad Qadri, were taken into custody during the operation and shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation. Investigations are ongoing.

The Sunni Tehreek spokesperson rejected the police version and alleged that security cameras at Qadri House were damaged to conceal the operation. He said the party would challenge the raid and arrests through legal means.