Shikarpur operation: Police turn back after resistance from outlaws

SUKKUR:

A joint operation by the Shikarpur, Kashmore-Kandhkot and Jacobabad police launched to recover kidnapped people in the katcha has reportedly been called off due to heavy resistance by outlaws.

The operation was launched mainly to recover a minor girl who was kidnapped from Thull more than eight years ago, as well as other persons kidnapped from Khanpur. The police failed to recover these people but on Monday were luckily able to recover a woman, who was kidnapped along with five other women from Sehwan two years ago.

On Tuesday they recovered another woman but she refused to leave her three daughters with the man she was forced to marry. Following this, the Shikarpur SSP, Nasir Aftab, finally admitted to the presence of kidnapped women in the katcha of Khanpur, in district Shikarpur and Ghouspur, district Kashmore-Kandhkot.

During an exchange of fire with the outlaws, a police constable was killed and two others were injured on Monday. The law enforcers claimed to have killed four outlaws but, despite the lapse of three days, have failed to recover their bodies.

According to an official privy to the developments, the police retreated on Tuesday night due to the use of rocket launchers and other heavy weapons by the outlaws. But SSP Aftab told The Express Tribune that the operation was still continuing while admitting that the police have yet to recover the bodies of the killed outlaws.

He said an internal rift between different groups of outlaws could not be ruled out. "The bodies of the killed dacoits might have been buried by their accomplices," he speculated. Giving an example of the Ghotki operation last year, he said, "During the operation in the katcha we spotted many fresh graves in the area, which most probably belonged to the dacoits killed during an exchange of fire with the police".

Earlier, the officer denied presence of kidnapped women in the katcha, but on Wednesday admitted to their presence in the area, vowing to make all possible efforts for their recovery. Sharing some information, he said the most hardened and notorious criminal of southern Punjab, Chotu Bakhrani, had visited the katcha of Ghotki a couple of days ago but had since returned.

A gang of women traffickers used to kidnap women from Karachi and other parts of Sindh and southern Punjab and sell them to the people in the katcha for between Rs100,000 to Rs500,000, depending upon their age.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th,  2016.