Four days on, police yet to succeed in Kashmore operation against bandits

KASHMORE: Police have yet to succeed in an ongoing operation against bandits holed up in katcha area near Kashmore district of Sindh province, despite the offensive entering its fourth day on Thursday.

The law enforcers kicked off the operation against Nawab Jagirani gang on Monday, after the bandits held four people hostage.

The dacoits attacked police using heavy weapons, resulting in martyrdom of station house officer (SHO) of Karampur police station Ali Hassan and injuries to two others.

Around 400 policemen, 100 police commandos and 50 personnel of Pakistan Rangers, with the help of 12 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), have been partaking in the operation against the outlaws in the vicinity dominated by riverine forests.

However, the law enforcers have not yet managed to achieve a significant success in the ongoing offensive.

Policeman dies in encounter with dacoits in Kashmore

Two policemen were also injured in the fighting, which is presently under way

Police claim to have gunned down one dacoit and injured nine other outlaws, besides destroying several of their hideouts.

The law enforcers say they have been facing difficulties in operation due to dense forests, however, vow to continue the action until they succeed.

Upper Sindh and southern Punjab are infamous for gangs of robbers, who indulge in kidnappings and other illegal activities, operating in difficult-to-access katcha areas.

In April 2016, the leader of a feared gang, Ghulam Rasool alias Chhottu, surrendered unconditionally along with his 13 gang members after the army intervened in the police operation against them in Katcha Jamal area on the left bank of River Indus in southern Punjab.

The army had said that all the hostages, including 24 policemen, as many women, 44 children and four elderly men were safely recovered from the gang’s captivity.