Seven police officers were kidnapped in Rajanpur's Rojhan tehsil on Sunday morning allegedly by dacoits with ties to the Attaullah Pat gang.

Deputy Superintendent Police (DSP) Bangla Ichha Ramiz Bokhari said the police officers were on boat patrol in the riverine area when they were picked up by gang members who are believed to have hidden in the sugarcane fields surrounding the area. An assistant sub-inspector of the Bangla Iccha police station is among those kidnapped.

DSP Rojhan Buzdar told Dawn that search operations are being conducted in the riverine area of the tehsil by police for the safe recovery of the abducted officers. A case will soon be registered against the kidnappers at the Bangla Ichha police station, he added.

Regional Police Officer Dera Ghazi Khan Rehmatullah Niazi told Dawn that he was personally monitoring the operation for the recovery of the kidnapped policemen. He maintained that no demands have yet been relayed by the kidnappers through any official channels.

An extensive combing operation had been carried out in Rajanpur against the Chotoo gang by security forces in 2016 and most of the outlaws had either surrendered or were 'wiped out'.

Lately, however, splinter groups of Chotoo gang, such as the Attaullah Pat gang, have managed to regroup in the area and are suspected of involvement in robberies and kidnappings in the area.