SUKKUR / HYDERABAD: A deputy superintendent of police, two station house officers (SHOs), and two constables were killed while three others received injuries as a result of an attack by at least 150 dacoits on a police camp in the riverine area of Ghotki district in the wee hours of Sunday.

The riverine area where the incident took place was known as Raunti, where the police had set up a camp after entering the area to recover three hostages who were kidnapped on Oct 30.

A case was lodged for their recovery at the Ubauro police station on the complaint of Mehar Khan. The hostages included Mohammad Sadiq, son of Rahim Bux Dhandu, 20; Mehrab, son of Mehar Dhandu, 12; and eight-year-old Shahbaz Ali, son of Mehar Dhandu.

Upon investigation, the police learned that Rahib Shar, a dacoit, had abducted the three. Subsequently, a team led by DSP Abdul Malik Bhutto entered the area to recover hostages within the remits of the Wasti Jeewan Shah police station and established a police camp at the residence of dacoit Lalo Shar, a close relative of Rahib Shar.

Police camp was set up to recover kidnap victims; SSP says police tracing footprints of suspects

After midnight, at least 150 dacoits attacked the camp with modern weapons and fired at least 25 rockets at the policemen, said Ghotki SSP Tanvir Tunio. In the ensuing shootout, DSP Bhutto, Inspector Abdul Malik Kamangar, Sub-Insp­e­ctor Din Mohammad Leg­hari, and constables Jatoi Khan Pitafi and Mohammad Saleem Chachar were killed. Injured policemen are Inspector Ghulam Ali Brohi, constables Aftab Ahmed Bhutto, and Mumtaz Ali Soomro.

Information gathered by Dawn revealed that dacoits celebrated the killings inside the riverine area after taking away the bodies of the policemen. The bodies were returned to the police after a few hours as a result of mediation by some influential persons. The bodies were sent to their native towns after autopsy and the injured were shifted to a hospital in Sukkur.

Dawn learned that the dacoits attacked the police team to avenge the killing of Salto Shar, who was allegedly killed in an encounter with the Ghotki police in the recent past.

‘Footprints being traced’

In his report to the Sindh police chief, the SSP said that the footprints of the suspects were being traced and the area had been cordoned off. The IGP was informed that all entry and exit points of the riverine area had been sealed by the police and geo-fencing was underway to apprehend the culprits responsible for the killing of the policemen.

In a conversation with Dawn over the phone, SSP Tunio said the police team had entered the riverine area for the recovery of three hostages. He added that police had information that other hostages were also in the custody of the dacoits.

Sharing the measures taken by the police before the attack occurred, he said in a bid to curb kidnapping cases, the local police had set up pickets, Bhaya-1, Bhaya-2 and Bhaya-4, while river protective dykes were also strengthened with establishments of 15 police kiosks in order to scuttle communication between the dacoits and their facilitators. “We were successful in establishing the camp but then the dacoits attacked our team in order to stop the operation. This led to the martyrdom of five policemen,” he said.

Sindh IG Ghulam Nabi Memon said the gang of dacoits allegedly belonging to the Indhar and Shar communities attacked the policemen who were not able to consolidate themselves by then. He said a strategy would be devised to apprehend the suspects as the police would not let the blood of the martyred policemen go in vain. “It is a continued fight between the dacoits and the police,” said the IGP.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2022