At least 12 suspected robbers have been killed and 71 abettors in crimes arrested during the ongoing security operation launched in the riverine area about two months ago, while over 30 suspected criminals have surrendered.
The police have set up a second community school and dispensary in Kachi Moro, named after martyred official Rao Rahat Saleem.
An official said the area had been deprived of basic health and education facilities before being cleared by the police.
The school and dispensary are being run with infrastructure and manpower provided by the police and the health facility is providing free treatment facilities to local people. According to the Rajanpur district police officer, highly educated policemen and women have been deputed in the Police Community School, where free education, books, bags and uniforms are being provided by the police to the children.
Dera Ghazi Khan Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Hassan Khan told the media that the children of the facilitators of criminal who had escaped from the area were also studying in the school. He said the future generations of criminal elements in the area would be educated and made respectable citizens.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, the RPO said more than 30 hideouts of criminal gangs in the area had been destroyed.
The official said about 80 per cent of the area had been cleared and the police had set up checkpoints to maintain order and security.
The RPO said the criminal gangs operating in the Kacha area of Rajanpur and Rahim Yar Khan were not only involved in robbery and kidnapping for ransom but also sheltering terrorists. The gangs also earned from crops cultivated on over 10,000 acres of land.
The gangs had resurfaced despite facing a major operation in 2016.
The official said areas such as Chak Kubra, Bahram Mor, Basti Makari, Kacha Karachi, Kacha Hyderabad, Kachi Jamal, Kachi Moro, Chak Chirag Shah, Basti Lathani and Basti Sukhani had been cleared.
The police have targeted the Lund gang in Kachi Lund, Long Lathani gang in Rojhan, and Sukhani, Kalu Bangiani and Shaban Khambra gangs.
The strongholds of the gangs had served as sanctuaries for criminals for over two decades.
The death toll among the dacoits stands at 12, while several people are in detention over facilitating criminal activities.
The official said more than 30 suspected robbers had surrendered to the police due to the intensity of the operation.
The Kacha area in Rajanpur has long been a sanctuary for criminals with vast stretches of forest covering about 10,000 acres serving as their stronghold. The number of criminals associated with the gangs is estimated to exceed 300.
In line with the National Security Committee's decision to eradicate the criminal elements, the major operation commenced 58 days ago in Rahim Yar Khan and later was expanded to Rojhan and nearby areas of Dera Ghazi Khan.
However, the official said, reports had suggested that some gang members had sought refuge with terrorists in Balochistan. Several gang leaders are believed to have fled to remote areas of Sindh or Balochistan.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 5th, 2023.
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