Sindh battles dacoits fleeing Punjab

GHOTKI/KASHMORE/SHIKARPUR/SUKKUR: The Sindh police, already conducting an operation against dacoits in the rural areas, are facing another challenge of a massive influx of them entering the province through the border area of Kashmore from Punjab where a crackdown is ongoing.

There are about 19 groups of dacoits in four districts of Sindh, according to the Sindh police, of which 11 are very strong and involved in kidnapping for ransom, extortion, and killing of police officers.

Sindh Inspector General of Police Ghulam Nabi Memon has set up police posts from the Kacha areas to highways to keep bandits away from the CPEC.

Ghotki police have set up three large police posts and 60 small ones near Bachao Bund (Machka) and Sindhuja in Ghotki.

In Ghotki, the police killed 37 robbers in the ongoing crackdown against robbers, while 11 robbers have been arrested with injuries. The police have also arrested 85 robbers’ facilitators, who used to provide information to them. Meanwhile, 5,400 acres of land has also been freed from the possession of dacoits.

The dacoits in Punjab are crossing the border area of Kashmore and heading towards Sindh due to a crackdown against them over there.

In recent days, bandits attacked a police mobile with a rocket launcher in the border area of Kashmore in Larkana in which two policemen were martyred. According to the latest data, dacoits kidnapped 30 people, including a child, in the last one month.

In order to curb the menace of dacoits, the main task of the police was the construction of a bridge connecting Ghotki and Kashmore, which had started in 2020. As the construction started, the dacoits kidnapped some engineers and extorted millions of rupees. After that, the construction work had stopped, but now it had started again and a large police post was established around it.

Thirty check posts were set up in the Shikarpur area where 735 officers and personnel had been posted, while 10 large check posts were set up in the Sukkur area.

Sukkur DIG Javed Jiskani said, “Punjab's Rahim Yar Khan and Sindh's Ghotki border area is where the operation against robbers is ongoing.”

Jiskani said, “If the robbers of Punjab go to Sindh, the Sindh police would arrest them. In this regard, I am also in touch with the Punjab IG. It will take more time to improve the law and order situation in the rural areas.”

In the past, he said, the police used to rescue the hostages by stealing the buffaloes of the bandits or freed the hostages by seizing their wheat.

He said it used to be done, but this work is not being done in this season. “Now, we are seriously trying to find a solution to this problem.”

Ghotki SSP Tanveer Tunio said that after the death of the famous dacoit Saltu Shar in Ghotki, new groups of robbers have been formed. Among them, Rano Shar, Chandi Shar, Parvez Jagirani, Rahab Shar, Janu Andhar and Somer Shar are strong groups.

These groups, he said, were also in contact with the dacoits in Punjab.

SSP Irfan Samu revealed that some police officers and officials posted in Kashmore facilitated the dacoit groups. In the past, he said, “famous dacoits had appointed Thanidars who were involved in kidnapping for ransom, robbery, and extortion”.

They used to help the dacoits a lot, due to which the law and order situation in this district had worsened. Now, he said, the black sheep of the police were being dismissed from their jobs.

Shikarpur SSP Amjad Sheikh said 30 check posts were set up by the police in the most sensitive areas of Shikarpur where 735 officers and personnel were deployed.