KARACHI: Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, the key suspect of 2012 Karachi Baldia factory fire who was arrested in Bangkok earlier this month, has confessed that he deliberately set ablaze the garment factory on the instructions of MQM leader Hammad Siddiqui, killing over 250 workers.

Sources said Bhola revealed this before the Joint Investigation Team.

The JIT, headed by SSP Investigation West Akhtar Farooq, was been formed to investigate the main suspect in Baldia factory fire. It included officials from the intelligence agencies, Rangers officials and officers of the special branch.

He confessed that MQM leader Hammad Siddiqui gave him the instructions to set fire to the factory due to non-payment of Rs 250 million Bhatta (extortion money).

Siddiqui claimed that the intent behind the arson attack was only to intimidate owners of the Ali Enterprise, he didn’t anticipate that his act would result in the loss of lives.

Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, was produced before an anti-terrorism court on Wednesday and remanded in police custody till December 19.

Bhola, 46, was detained by the Thai Interpol at a hotel in the red-light district Nana area of Bangkok on December 3 on Pakistan’s request.

He was extradited from Bangkok to Karachi on Tuesday.

Bhola is a former MQM sector Incharge and an employee of Karachi Municipal Corporation’s health department.

Hammad Siddiqui was of in-charge of MQM’s Karachi Tanzeemi Committee.