RAHIM YAR KHAN: Two employees of the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) were allegedly kidnapped by a gang of dacoits from Chowk Mahi near Sukkur-Multan Motorway (M-5) on Thursday night.

According to police sources, Mepco employees -- Sadiqabad Circle, Rahimabad Sub-Division line superintendents Nadeem Jamal and Iftakhar Shah were returning from Kalaywali grid station of Nawazabad area on a motorcycle when they were kidnapped by dacoits near Chowk Mahi in Kot Sabzal police limits.

The kidnappers took the two Mepco employees towards the river Indus’ riverine area, they said.

According to Mepco spokesperson, Jamshaid Niazi, on the direction of the company’s Chief Executive Officer Eng Mahar Allah Yar Bharwana, its Bahawalpur Superintendent Engineer (SE) met Regional Police Office Sadiq Ali Dogar, who assured him of “immediate recovery” of the kidnapped employees.

He said Mr Dogar directed the Rahim Yar Khan district police officer (DPO) to take immediate measures for the Mepco employees’ recovery.

Meanwhile, two men who were earlier kidnapped by dacoits, returned home allegedly after payment of ransom, whereas police claim credit for “recovery” of at least one of them.

As per sources, a dispenser, Yasin, a resident of Daowala, who was kidnapped two weeks back from Bhong area, has returned home allegedly after paying ransom to dacoits.

However, police spokesperson Saif Ali Wains claimed in his Whatsapp message that Yasin’s recovery was made possible because of police’s “immediate response”.

The kidnapped dispenser was freed after an exchange of fire between police and dacoits who were hiding in a vast sugarcane field, he further claimed.

Wains said that following crossfire the dacoits fled away leaving Yasin there and the police were were chasing them.

Similarly, the sources said, a journalist working with state-run Pakistan Television, Sher Ali Sahi, also returned home after a month of his kidnapping, allegedly following payment of Rs3 million ransom to a dacoits gang last month.

According to a Mepco press release, the RPO issued the orders after the company’s Bahawalpur Division Superintendent Engineer (SE) Syed Muhammad Mubashir Rizvi called on him on Friday and conveyed him the concerns of Mepco Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eng Maher Allahyar Bharvana.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2022