SUKKUR: A gang of armed dacoits held a passenger coach going from Quetta to Bahawalpur hostage and snatched valuables and cash money from the inmates near the Magsi bus stop along the Thull-Kandhkot Road within the jurisdiction of the Dera Sarki police station in Kandhkot-Kashmore.

According to reports reaching here, the coach driver lost control and the vehicle skidded off the road as the outlaws opened straight fire on its tyres. The dacoits held the passengers at gunpoint and robbed men, women and children of their valuable things, including cash, mobiles, wristwatches, jewelry, luggage etc.

When the dacoits left for the riverine area with the loot, the passengers blocked the road and staged a protest demonstration against the poor law and order situation.

Raising charged slogans against the district police, they lashed out at their failure in controlling the outlaws and criminals who have made the life of the citizens and passengers miserable.

Police had failed in protecting people and maintaining peace across the Kandhkot-Kashmore district, they said.

The demonstrators appealed to the higher authorities to take notice of their protest and stern action against the dacoits and criminals who often carry out their criminal activities without any fear of law on any road and at any place in the Kandhkot-Kashmore district.

Dacoits upload video of three hostages on social media

Dacoits uploaded on Sunday a video on social media showing three hostages identified as Mazhar, Shafiq, and Jamshed, who are workers of a construction company currently building the Kandhkot-Ghotki Bridge. They were abducted a month ago.

The hostages in chains can be heard in the video appealing to their company and police to get them freed by fulfilling the demands of the kidnappers.

The workers were saying that they were being beaten up daily and were not given food and drinking water in the hot atmosphere of the kutcha area in Kandhkot.

Sources said the construction work of the mega project (Ghotki-Kandhkot Bridge) had been suspended due to the abduction of its workers and hefty demands by different gangs of dacoits operational in Kandhkot.

Two men killed in clans’ clashes

Another young man died on Sunday when a group of armed men, reportedly belonging to the Sundrani clan, attacked the Sawand people in Raees Habibullah Sawand village in Kandhkot.

Local police officials said the people of Sawand clan retaliated to the assault and shot dead a youth, Rehmatullah Sundari, in the shootout. He died on way when his associates were taking him to the civil hospital.

They said the body was handed over to the heirs after the completion of the post-mortem examination.

Sources said the rival parties had taken up positions in their respective areas after the incident which had instilled fear among the villagers.

Another man Barkat Ali Sundrani was killed during another clash that flared up between two rival groups of Sawand and Sundrani clans in Durani Mahar in the Kutcha area of Kandhkot.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2023