No law, no order: 12 residents of Sindh IG’s hometown gone missing

Hindu resident Vicky Kumar was kidnapped from the centre of the city eight days ago.

SUKKUR: At least 12 people from Shikarpur, the hometown of soon-to-retire Sindh IG, are in the custody of kidnappers. The residents have pinned all their hopes on IG Shahid Nadeem Baloch to recover the missing men.

According to Larkana DIG Khadim Rind, the deals for the release of kidnapped people are done in Shikarpur, even in cases where the kidnapping took place in another part of the province. Recently, two young Hindu men were kidnapped. One of them, Jagdesh Kumar, returned home after he reportedly paid ransom but Vicky Kumar is still in the kidnapper’s custody. Vicky was whisked away from Dadwai Road, the heart of Shikarpur city.

His father, Gian Chand, who works with a transporter, told The Express Tribune how his son went to the temple nearly eight nights ago. He was coming back to his house in Meena Bazaar when he was kidnapped. “I am a poor man and my son had just started his career at a bank,” the father sobbed. “We were happy to know that the family will prosper now but we did not realise that nature had this in store for us.”

Gian Chand has three sons and two daughters and his wife is a heart patient. Vicky was the family favourite. The police has not been entirely off the grid when it comes to Vicky’s case. “The police came to me once and promised my son will be recovered safely,” he said.

Meanwhile, those who are living in Shikarpur have been feeling neglected. “Tribal feuds and vested interests have turned my city of love and peace into a living hell,” said social activist Naveed Alam Abro. More than 40 people across Sindh are in the clutches of the kidnappers and, he said, it’s quite unfortunate that Shikarpur is on the top of that list with 12 kidnapped people. “Criminals consider Hindus as soft targets as they don’t have any political or tribal backing,” he reasoned.

For his part, Sindh IGP Shahid Nadeem Baloch, who was visiting Larkana on Tuesday, hinted at launching an operation against the outlaws in Larkana division within the next 48 hours. Since Baloch is scheduled to retire on February 22, there is reason to doubt such promises.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 13^th, 2014.