LARKANA, July 18: A gang of women traffickers was busted and its woman ringleader and six associates, including an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police, were arrested in a raid on a bungalow in Sachal Colony, Larkana police said on Thursday.

City ASP Hassan Sardar Niazi told a press conference that the raid was conducted on a tip-off that the ringleader, Hajani Chandio, was operating from her bungalow. Besides Hajani, ASI Syed Abrar Shah (currently posted at the East Lines Headquarter, Karachi), Zafar Chandio, Din Mohammed Chandio, Sarfraz Buledi and Ainy Khan were arrested in the raid, he added. Ms Farzana, said to be a kidnap victim, was also found there and taken into custody, he said.

The ASP claimed that Hajani Chandio, a resident of Amir Chandio village in Qambar, operated her gang in collusion with Din Mohammed Chandio and Zafar Chandio in Qambar and Sarfraz Buledi, in some other area of the interior of Sindh.

She also had links with ASI Shah and Ainy Khan in Karachi, ASP Niazi said, adding the pair used to kidnap young women in Karachi and hand them over to Hajani in Larkana. The victims were then sold away in different parts of Sindh and Balochistan, he said.

Only on Wednesday, Reshman alias Gurria, who was abducted along with Farzana, was sold in Qambar for Rs150,000, the ASP claimed.

The media was informed that Hajani Chandio had escaped arrest in a police raid carried out in Jacobabad on Wednesday.

Her five associates were caught and a case under Sections 506/2, 371, 17/3, 376 and 342 had been registered at the Saddar police station.

Ms Farzana, a resident of Karachi, told the media that ASI Shah and Ainy had kidnapped her from near her house in Karachi. She said they took her to Hajani’s bungalow where Ms Reshman alias Gurria was already present. Gurria was sold to someone from Qambar, she said, adding that she was also about to be sold out had the raid was delayed by about 15 minutes.

Hajani also spoke to the media and rejected the police claim, saying that she ran her marriage bureau and ASI Shah and Ainy had brought Ms Farzana to her bungalow for her engagement. She stated that she was unaware of Ms Farzana’s alleged kidnap.

Ainy told the media that she was an orphan and hailed from Karachi. She said she lived with Mai Bhoori in Hyderabad from where Hajani purchased her for Rs50,000 and took her to the bungalow in Larkana. Ainy denied having kidnapped Ms Farzana, and claimed that she (Ainy) herself was a kidnap victim.

ASP Niazi, speaking to Dawn, said that the Market police had registered a case against six suspects under sections 367-A on the complaint of Ms Farzana.

Hajani and Ainy were sent to the women police station while the male suspects were kept at the Market police station. All the suspects would be produced in court on Friday, the ASP said.