Murad finalizes plan to launch cleanup operation against dacoits in katcha area

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that a well-planned and vigorous `operation clean-up’ is being launched against dacoits and their abettors in the katcha area of districts, Shikarpur and Kashmore.

“I have given clear and loud instructions to the police to clean the area and report me,” this he said while talking to the media just after reviewing the law and order situation of the katcha area at the office of the SSP Shikarpur on Wednesday, said a statement issued here.

Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Maher, Regional Police Officer Kamran Fazal, Commissioner Larkana and Sukkur Shafiq Mahesar, DIG Larkana Nasir Aftab, SSP Shikarpur Ameer Saud Magsi, SSP Kashmore Amjad Shaikh, SSP Larkan Imran Qureshi and other senior police officer attended the meeting.

The chief minister said that the police had conducted an operation in which two policemen and a photographer embraced martyrdom. “The sacrifices rendered by the police personnel would not go waste,” he said and added he has received a detailed briefing about the area and has given necessary instruction to the police to burst the gangs of dacoits.

To a question Syed Murad Ali Shah said that law and order was worse in 2008 and no highway was safe in the province. “People used to travel in police convoys,” he recalled and added the Sindh government of PPP had launched several operations against the dacoits and highway robbers and had cleared the entire province.

“Now the situation is comparatively much better in the province but a few areas of katcha belt have some problems where dacoits have established their hideouts, '' the CM Sindh said and added that his government was committed to eliminate them.

Replying to a question, the CM Sindh said that in the previous operations the police have shown commendable performance. “Our policemen are professional and I am sure they would conduct a successful operation to bust the gangs of a few dacoits in the katcha area,” he hoped.

Earlier, in the law and order meeting the Chief minister was told that the Katcha belt of Shikarpur district has the areas of Garhi Tego and Bachal Bhayo spreading over 149,000 Acres where nine police stations, including Naper Kot , Kot Shahoo, Bachal Bhayo, Abad Millani , Jhali Kalwari, Tajo Dero, Jhabbir Shaikh, 20-Mile & Jamalpur were functional.

In the area there are some tribal feuds which ultimately end up in creating outlaws against each other and then they start robberies, kidnapping and other crimes.

“At this the chief minister directed commissioner Larkana to identify the villages of katcha where roads could be constructed. “With the development of infrastructure, the area would open up automatically,” he said.

The chief minister giving guidelines to the police said that base camps should be established as pre-operation activities.

The outlaws should be de-weaponzed and forced to surrender for clearing of the area. Proper patrolling should be started in the problematic areas through special teams. The chief minister directed the Inspector General of Police to prepare a combat force by selecting the best policemen so that operations against the dacoits could prove to be final and decisive.

The chief minister was told that different gangs of bandits such as Belo Teghani, Khair Mohammad Khairo, Jhangal Teghani, Mahar Jatoi along with their accomplices were involved in kidnapping for ransom, killing and murders, road robberies and extortion.

Syed Murad Ali Shah directed the police to keep the area cordoning so that no dacoit or his facilitator could escape.“In the operation combat teams should move towards the targets along with APCs and after clearing the area move next target,” he said and added he wanted the entire area should be cleared.

The chief minister was told that the operation against the dacoits in the Katcha area was conducted in the wee hours of May 23 to get six kidnapped persons recovered from the clutches of the bandits. Some six APCs were used in the operation. One of the APCs stuck up when its chain was hit with a rocket launcher. The dacoits opened indoctrinate fires, as a result two policemen were killed and eight, including one inspector injured.

The police not only recovered six kidnapped persons from the dacoits safely but killed six dacoits and recovered arms and ammunition, including 12.7 mm guns, RPG-7 rockets, hand grenades, a number of G-3 kk rifles and a large number of bullets.

Earlier, the chief minister went to the residence of constable Munawar Jatoi killed in the operation against dacoits and offered condolence with his brother Aziz Jatoi.

Murad also met with the children of the shaheed constable and assured them that the family of the shaheed constable would not be left alone.

“The government would be providing educational expenditures/scholarships and would continue the salary of the deceased,” he said. He also assured the family to provide them one job and compensation.

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah also went to the residence of shaheed photographer Haseeb Shaikh and offered condolences with his father, Safdar Shaikh.

In the office of the SSP Shikarpur, the chief minister met with the families of two constables, Barkat Hussain and Khalid Hussain killed by dacoits in Larkana district last week. Then the police had also killed three dacoits with the help of villagers. The chief minister offered one job to each immediate family member of the killed constable. “We will be giving scholarships to the children of the deceased for proper education,” he concluded.