Raid turns bloody as police face violent resistance

Dozen officers injured as villagers allegedly fight back with guns, axes, stones; authorities launch crackdown

HYDERABAD:

Around a dozen police personnel, including three female constables and a DSP, sustained injuries when a raid to arrest suspected robbers was met with fierce resistance in a village of Tando Allahyar district on Thursday night. The injured officers were shifted to different hospitals, with two taken to Hyderabad and the rest admitted to the district civil hospital.

According to SSP Saleem Shah, one of the injured policemen was later moved to a private hospital in Karachi, where he is reported to be in stable condition and recovering.

The raid was led by DSP Chambar Subdivision Sardar Chandio, targeting suspects allegedly involved in a house robbery on April 14 in the district. In that incident, armed robbers had broken into the home of a retired District Education Officer (DEO), held him and his family hostage, and looted cash, jewellery, and other valuables worth millions of rupees.

Police said they had earlier arrested one suspect, identified as Fayaz Solangi, who subsequently led law enforcement officials to the village where the raid turned violent. Upon arrival, police teams were reportedly attacked by women and men armed with guns, axes, bricks, and stones, forcing officers to retreat amid chaos and injuries.

Following the incident, police registered an FIR naming 25 suspects with full identities and 27 others as unidentified. On Friday afternoon, a larger police contingent was dispatched to the area in a follow-up operation; however, a majority of the suspects managed to escape before the raid could be fully executed.

Despite the setback, SSP Shah claimed that police managed to detain 10 suspects in the renewed action, along with the recovery of a Kalashnikov and two motorcycles that were reportedly snatched from law enforcement earlier.