LARKANA, July 26: Police officials have claimed that they have busted two notorious gangs of dacoits and secured release of 27 kidnapped people from their custody during an ongoing anti-dacoits operation in Larkana and Shikarpur districts.

Addressing a press conference here on Saturday, Deputy Inspector General of Larkana police commander (retd) Shokuat Ali Shah termed the operation a success. However, he said that there were still 13 gangs of dacoits at large in the area.

The DIG of Larkana said that action against the criminals had become necessary in Larkana and Shiakrpur areas where kidnapping for ransom, road robberies, dacoities had become the order of the day and turned road-travel almost insecure.

He said that police had almost lost people’s trust because of political interference and indecent behaviour of some policemen which was a challenge for the new government.

Realising the gravity of the situation the present government had decided to launch the cleanup operation against criminals in Golo Daro in Shikarpur district and Ketti Mumtaz in Larkana with backup support of central police office and home department, the DIG said.

The area was cordoned off from 19 June and since then not a single incident of kidnapping for ransom or robbery had occurred, he said.

He said due to mounting police pressure criminals had set free 27 kidnapping victims while five were still in their clutches and hoped that they would be recovered soon.

He said in 40 police encounters during the operation in Larkana’s five districts--Larkana, Qambar-Shahdakdot, Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Kashmor-- two dacoits Hassan Brohi and Shorab Chandio were killed and 85 criminals were arrested.

He said two dacoits, Papoo alias Ali Murad Essani, and Fuji alias Mukhtair Pitafi, carrying head money of Rs1 million and Rs0.5 million, respectively, had surrendered.

During the campaign 84 proclaimed offenders and 1472 absconders were netted, he claimed.

He said 15 hideouts of dacoits in the limits of Ketti Mumtaz police station were burnt from where police uniforms, rockets and other items of daily use were recovered.

He said 15 Kalashnikovs, two rifles, 24 shotguns, two revolvers, 69 pistols along with 618 rounds and 124 cartridges were recovered.

He said police retuned to a house in the police station of Ketti Mumtaz that it had left five years ago due to the increased activities of bandits in the area.

A contingent of 100 policemen was deployed there, he said.

Responding to a question he said leakage of information was quite embarrassing for the police and added action against such police officers and cops would be taken.