Police claimed to have arrested eight suspected dacoits in Kachi Lond and destroyed hideouts of the Imrani and Dalani gangs.
Officials said three Kalashnikovs, repeater guns and hundreds of bullets had been seized on Tuesday during the operation in the Kacha area.
The police also used boats to access the area controlled by criminal gangs, they said.
More than 30 hideouts of gangs involved in kidnapping for ransom and providing shelter to terrorists have been destroyed so far in a police operation in the riverine area.
Punjab Police Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar told reporters on Tuesday that more than 11,000 police personnel and 11 armoured personnel carriers were taking part in the operation launched over two weeks back, in which the Balochistan and Sindh police and Pakistan Army are also cooperating.
Personnel of the law-enforcement agencies patrol the area retrieved from the Kacha bandits. Photos: Express
Police officials said crops spread over about 10,000 acres in the area were also a major source of income for the gangs.
A major operation had also been conducted in the same area in 2016 with the support of the army.
However, the gangs have reorganised, due to which the National Security Committee decided to launch the ongoing operation to eliminate criminals active in the area.
Several areas in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rahim Yar Khan have been strongholds of criminals, including Kacha Karachi, Kacha Hyderabad, Kacha Jamal, Kachi Moro, Chak Chirag Shah, Basti Lathani, Basti Sukhani and Kachi Lond.
According to local sources, the Lond, Long Lathani and Sukhani Gang have been active for the past two decades in Rahim Yar Khan, Rojhan and Rajanpur.
As many as 16 security operations have been conducted since 1996 to eliminate the gangs and their hideouts, but rule of law could not be established in the area.
According to police sources, eight suspected robbers were arrested in Rahim Yar Khan on Tuesday and heavy weapons were seized from them.
Moreover, an LEA man stands ready with his gun to retaliate to any kind of provocation. Photos: Express
Since the operation was launched, four suspected robbers have been killed and 24 others detained over suspicion of facilitating criminals.
The Punjab Police and other law enforcement agencies had launched a major joint operation along with the army in 2016 against the Chhotu gang. Several criminals, including leader of the gang, Ghulam Rasool Chhotu, were arrested. During the investigation, the arrested men reportedly had made claims of having relations with police officers.
However, other criminals associated with the gang had reportedly escaped from the area during the operation and hid in the hilly areas of Balochistan.
With the passage of time, the fugitives returned to the area and reorganised gangs to commit crimes.
An official said forests and crops cultivated in the Rajanpur Kacha area over about 10,000 acres are also a source of income for the gangs. The bandits have also established shelters for themselves on the land.
The official said the estimated number of criminals in the area was over 300.
The ongoing operation was launched in Rahim Yar Khan and later extended to Rojhan.
Regional Police Officer Sajjad Hasan Khan told The Express Tribune that four robbers had been killed and several others injured, while a number of facilitators of criminals had also been arrested.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 26th, 2023.
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