Dacoits of Ghotki under fire

Police killed the notorious Hakeem alias Hako Shar

Sukkur: The police have started an operation against the bandits in Ghotki and Sukkur districts. This came to pass as a result of continuous kidnappings and attacks on the police force.

On October 2022, a group of robbers kidnapped two children of the same family, Mehtab, Shahbaz along with their uncle Muhammad Sadiq, belonging to Ubauro. The bandits had demanded a huge ransom from the families for the safe return of the hostages. The police were informed, and they sprung into action to recover the hostages.

At that time, the police force headed by DSP Abdul Malik Bhutto, which went to Rounti Kacha area to recover the hostages, was attacked by robbers. SHO PS Ubauro Deen Muhammad Laghari, Police Officer Salim Chachar, Jatoi Patafi were martyred in this attack. The attack on the police was, led by the notorious ‘Dacoit Rahab Shar’. More than a hundred bandits had launched an attack on the raiding police. They were armed with state-of-the-art rocket launchers, including anti-aircraft guns. The notorious bandit Johnny Jhandeer of the border region of Punjab was helping the attacking robbers, a form of a sick coalition. It was revenge on the police as the Ghotki police had killed the notorious bandit ‘Sultan alias Sulto Shar’ in an encounter some time ago. The killed bandit had dozens of murder cases on him including extortion. As the police arrived in the ‘Kacha area’ to rescue and extract the hostages, the bandits surrounded and killed them.

After the murder of five policemen, including three police officers, the Sindh police chiefs were faced with severe criticism as the robbers who terrorized villagers of Interior Sindh had such sophisticated weapons, as opposed to the police.

The old weapons in the police department were blamed for the massacre. The police could not fight effectively, because of old weapons. On the direction of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, and IG Sindh Police, the police started a targeted operation in the raw areas of Ghotki. Two dacoits Hakeem alias Hako Shar and Agho Shar, involved in robberies and kidnappings, were killed.

According to SSP Ghotki Tanveer Ahmad Tunio, the two robbers were involved in the attack on the police. “Criminals will not be allowed to come towards the urban area. The hideouts of the robbers have been destroyed. The police are present in the Rounti Kacha area. There are difficult roads in this area due to which the police cannot move the vehicle, but even in such situations, because of the efforts of the police in the area, a total of nine hostages have been safely recovered so far. The robbers are trying to escape from the area, but we will not let them go. These robbers will face the law. The martyrdom of the police officers has not reduced our morale, but we are fighting the robbers with more determination and courage.”

SHO Rounti Abdul Shakoor Lakho, the police officer commanding the police operation in Rounti Kache area, told Bol News that the five hostages have been rescued by the police during a targeted operation. The hostages rescued are Khalil Pathan from Hyderabad, Pashin from Balochistan. Resident of Moulvi Azmatullah Hathan, Mohammad Bakhsh Lashari from Kashmore district, and Saeed Ahmed from Rajanpur district of Punjab. He reached the police station and identified five hostages who have been rescued. These are the same hostages for whose release the bandits were demanding crores of rupees from their families. “What is being done, the help of drones is also being taken, and our effort is to bring all the robbers in this area of Kacha to their logical end, until all these robbers surrender, the operation against them will continue.”

Ghotki district’s border touches Sukkur and Kashmore districts, therefore arrangements have been made in the neighboring districts of Ghotki to prevent the movement of robbers. It is very difficult because of the riverine area, however, only an armored vehicle with chains can move in the area. The police have nevertheless, increased patrol and security on the district boundaries to stop the movement of robbers.

The operation against the bandits led to them fleeing their area but on the instructions of IG Sindh Ghulam Nabi Memon, the Sukkur district police have also sealed the border from Ghotki. SSP Sukkur Sanghar Malik has deployed additional police personnel and established pickets on the border strip of district Ghotki.  Efforts are being made to prevent the robbers from escaping the area. They are being prevented from entering Sukkur, this is the reason of increased police patrolling in the Sukkur border area.  “Granted, I myself patrol these areas till late at night. Our effort is to bring the robbers who attacked and martyred the police party to justice.” SSP Ghotki and Sukkur district claim that they will bring the dangerous bandits to their logical conclusion. To what extent will it be successful in this matter? Only time will tell.