SUKKUR: Two brothers lost their lives in an hours-long gun battle with a notorious gang in Allahdad Jafferi village on Friday.

Local residents — members of the Jafferi community — claimed that Mehrab Kokari Nandwani, the ringleader of the gang, was killed and at least four of his associates were wounded in the battle. How­ever, they added, other gang members managed to take away the body and wounded associates before police could arrive in the village.

They identified the deceased brothers as Taj Mohammad and Anwar.

Speaking to the media, Ali Mohammad, Ali Nawaz, Abdul Hakeem and other members of the Jafferi community living in the village said that the Kokari Nandwani gang used to visit the village on and off to collect protection money at gun point. On Friday, they added, the gangsters raided the village and started looting paddy seedlings stocked in the fields. Some of the armed villagers offered resistance and fired shots at Mehrab and his gang members which prompted a heavy exchange of fire. Mehrab and his four associates received bullet wounds and fell on ground. The two brothers, Taj Moham­mad and Anwar, also suffered fatal bullet wounds, they said.

Villagers claim killing ringleader, wounding his four associates

The villagers said that the bodies of the ringleader and two brothers had been lying on the ground during the course of the gun battle but the gangsters managed to lift Mehrab’s body and help their wounded associates board a vehicle before fleeing the village. They identified two of the wounded gangsters as Saddam and Naqeeb.

A strong contingent from the Jamal police station of Tangwani town in Kandhkot-Kashmore district proceeded to the village and brought the situation under control.

The police shifted the two brothers’ bodies to the Tang­wani Taluka Hospital for a postmortem examination and later handed them over to the heirs.

A police team was sent to chase the gangsters and the hunt was continuing till the last reports came in at around midnight.

Later, a large number of Jafferi community members along with residents of nearby villages gathered in Allahdad Jafferi village and took out the funeral procession. The bodies, before burial, were taken to the nearby section of the Indus Highway and placed in the middle of the road. Grieved and enraged villagers raised slogans against the police for failing to protect them from tyranny of the gang despite repeated complaints. They demanded immediate arrest of the gangsters who raided the village and killed the two brothers.

Vehicular traffic on the highway remained suspended for many hours due to the protest demonstration.

Police claim arrest of dacoit

Ghotki police on Friday claimed to have arrested the main suspect involved in the April 24 attack on a police picket within the limits of the Andal Sundrani police station of Ghotki. A constable, Shah Ali Sial, who was manning the picket, was killed in the attack.

A police team led by SHO Mohammad Siddique Shar of the Aandal Sundrani police station acting upon a tip-off carried out a rain on the specified place and overpowered Zaman Panjan Sundrani, the district police said.

They added that the snatched official G3 rifle of the martyred constable was recovered from his possession.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2024