Kidnapped: Police fail to locate three missing students

The students were returning to Kashmore after appearing for cadet college entry test

SUKKUR: Shikarpur Police have failed to locate three students of a private school in Kashmore, despite the lapse of 48 hours. The students were kidnapped by armed bandits near Lanjo Laro, Shikarpur, on Sunday evening.

The three students were identified as Naeem Ahmed, son of Ameer Ali Umrani, a student of class VI, his class-fellow Faraz Ali, son of Abdul Ghafoor Khoso and Abdul Fatah Junejo, son of Gul Mohammad Juneo, a student of class IX. On Sunday evening, the students and their teachers, Abdul Rasheed Solangi and Nadir Ali Mahar, were returning to Kashmore in a passenger wagon after appearing for the entry test at Cadet College, Larkana.

When the wagon reached Lanjo Laro, it was intercepted by armed bandits. They looted all the passengers and took the three students away with them. Following the incident, a contingent of police raided the katcha area near Garhi Tegho and conducted a house-to-house search in different villages. They failed, however, to find anything.

Shikarpur SSP Saqib Ismail Memon told The Express Tribune that the police had identified the gang behind the kidnapping. He added that the Kashmore and Shikarpur police were conducting raids and were hopeful that the students will be recovered soon.

Ghazali Residential Higher Secondary School, Kashmore, Principal Muhammad Ali Solangi told The Express Tribune that the incident had caused a lot of panic among the parents, students and faculty members. He explained that the students had gone to Cadet College, Larkana, on Saturday for the entry test and were returning to Kashmore after a night's stay in Larkana, when they were kidnapped.

Meanwhile, on Monday night, three persons identified as Ahmed Bhutto, Azad Rahujo and Sibghatullah Shaikh went missing and their family members feared they had been kidnapped. Larkana SSP Kamran Nawaz, however, told The Express Tribune that they had gone to Sehwan without informing their families. He added that they had contacted their families who were satisfied to find their loved ones were safe.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2015.