SUKKUR: Shikarpur police on Sunday claimed to have killed three dacoits, including ‘SP Tegho’, one of the most-wanted bandits carrying Rs2m head money, and wounded his associate during encounters at different places on previous night. They also claimed to have rescued two hostages and recovered two snatched cars during the actions.

Shikarpur SSP Irfarn Ali Samoo told Dawn over phone that police had received information that a gang of dacoits was travelling by a car, which was passing through a section of the Dakhan link road within the limits of the Madeji police station. He said that police rushed to the specified spot and challenged the gangsters but they opened fire, which was returned. During the encounter, two dacoits were killed on the spot, he said, adding that the weapons and car used by the outlaws were taken into custody after the encounter.

The bodies were shifted to the taluka hospital for a postmortem examination.

Two hostages freed in other police operations

Later, the deceased outlaws were identified as Ali Jan Sabzoi and Rafique alias Rafu Jafferi, believed to be associated with Nisar Sabzoi and Arslan Sabzoi gangs, the SSP said.

The police officer said that in the kutcha area of Garhi Tegho, a police team gunned down a dreaded dacoit, ‘SP Tegho’, who carried Rs2m head money.

It was an intelligence-based targeted action, the SSP said, pointing out that such actions were under way against criminal gangs and their facilitators in the riverine areas.

Local reporters, however, claimed that SP Tegho and a passer-by, Amjad, were killed in a clash between two rival communities of the Garhi Tegho riverine area. Five other persons were wounded in the gun battle during which sophisticated heavy weapons were used by both sides, they said.

In yet another encounter, two dacoits, Nawab Teghani and Aijaz, were wounded in a similar action, the SSP said.

Two hostages recovered

SSP Samoon said that the Naparkot police safely rescued two hostages, Imran Pahor and Channesar Pahor, who were kidnaped about a month ago from the Karampur Laro (turning) in Kandhkot.

They were escorted to the area’s police station and would be handed over to their families after legal formalities, he said.

Meanwhile, Kandhkot police and Rangers personnel killed a dacoit in a joint operation during which several hideouts of the outlaws were torched and destroyed in the riverine area of Khair Shah, within the limits of the B-Section police on Saturday night and Sunday. Several snatched motorcycles were recovered during the operation, they said.

The Kandhkot police said the wanted dacoit, Sanwal Mohammadani, was wounded in the action and transported to the taluka hospital, where doctors referred him to the Sukkur Civil Hospital due to his precarious condition. He, however, succumbed to his wounds during treatment, the police said.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2024