Fighting crime: Sukkur police kill ‘criminal’ during raid in Bagarji Bello

Accused was wanted in various cases of murder, kidnapping for ransom and highway robberies

SUKKUR: An alleged criminal was killed during a shoot-out with the police in an ongoing operation against criminals in Bagarji Bello forest, late on Friday.

According to the police, a group of dacoits opened fire at the police after seeing them during the targeted search operation in Bagarji. After an exchange of fire, the police gunned down a notorious dacoit, identified as Ghulam Haider alias Ghazi Mahar, while his other accomplices managed to escape.

The police seized a kalashnikov, some magazines and bullets from his possession. According to the officials, the accused was wanted in various cases, including, murder, kidnapping for ransom and highway robberies.



Operation in Bagarji

The targeted operation in the katcha area (riverine area) of Bagarji has been going on since two months, during which the police killed six hardened criminals and arrested many others, said Sukkur SSP Tanveer Hussain Tunio talking to The Express Tribune.

The SSP confirmed the killing of the alleged criminal and said, “Police operations are being carried out in Bagarji Bello since 1980, however, most of these operations failed to prove long lasting because of wrong planning.” He added that the key reason behind the failure of the operation was that the katcha area connects four districts, Sukkur, Khairpur, Shikarpur and Larkana, which provides sufficient space to the criminals to cross into other districts. A retired police officer requesting anonymity said that the operation should be launched in all the four districts to root out criminals, as the katcha area connects four districts of upper Sindh.

Talking about his strategy for the ongoing operation, the SSP said that heavy contingent of police along with armoured personnel carriers enter the area on daily basis to search for the criminals.

SSP further said that he is planning to establish model police posts in the riverine area to keep an eye on the movement of the criminals. These police posts, he said, will be constructed 15-feet above the ground on pillars, so that the policemen can watch each and every movement. Motor boats will also be provided at the post for the policemen to easily cross the river, while three months ration will available for the police at these posts, the SSP said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2016.