Katcha area in Ghotki: DSP, two SHOs among five cops martyred in dacoits’ attack

KARACHI: Poor strategy and inadequately-equipped force led to the martyrdom of five police officials, including a DSP and two SHOs, when over a hundred armed dacoits destroyed the law enforcement agency’s camp with heavy firing from anti-aircraft guns and rockets on Saturday night. The incident took place in the Katcha (riverine) area of Rauniti, Obuawaro, district Ghotki, which also left some other cops with multiple bullet injuries.

According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Sukkur Division, Javed Soonharo Jiskani, as many as 30 police officials along with three armoured personnel carriers (APCs) reached the designated area, captured the house of Kuraro Shar, a close relative of notorious dacoit Rahab Shar, and established their picket over there. The force was tasked to recover three hostages held by the Rahab Shah gang.

As soon as the police completed their deployment, over 150 dacoits, led by Rahib Shar and Soomar, attacked the police post, with heavy firing from anti-aircraft guns, rockets and sub-machine guns, leading to the martyrdom of five policemen, including DSP Abdul Malik Bhutto, SHO Abdul Malik Kamangar, SHO Din Mohammad Leghari and two police constables Saleem Chachadar and Jatoi Patafi. SHO Raavanti Ghulam Ali Brohi, SI Aftab Bhutto and cop Mumtaz Soomro were left injured.

According to police sources, while the police were caught up in the attack, they frantically sought reinforcements from the district police headquarters but no backup force could timely reach them. However, DIG Javed Soonharo Jiskani said after the heavy fire exchange, a strong police contingent was sent to the troubled spot. Besides an operation to recover the hostages was going on.

The dacoits, on the other hand, recorded and uploaded the video of destroyed police picket and bodies on social media. The Ghotki Police had recently killed a most-wanted dacoit Sulto Shar among several others and busted many gangs.

According to sources, Rahab Shar, in an alleged video, had warned SSP Ghotki of killing police officials, if the operation launched against them was not stopped forthwith. According to well-placed sources, “the plan got leaked and dacoits received prior information of impending police action and they reacted accordingly.” Due to the leak, the dacoits were able to inflict heavy damage on police.

An unnamed police officer deplored that despite the clear threat, the policemen were sent on a suicide mission into the dacoit’s stronghold without proper threat assessment and backup support from Rangers.

If this was not all, the police group was not adequately armed with weapons and ammunition. He said this particular area of Ghotki has long been a no-go area for law enforcers and there is no writ of the government. There have been several such encounters where botched actions have caused the loss of lives of several policemen in the last few years and even raised political storms.

Such is the helplessness of the police command in the area that they on their own could not pick up their dead and injured comrades and sought the help of an influential landlord to do so, said another police source.

The bodies and injured policemen were shifted to Obaro hospital. SSP Ghotki Tanweer Ahmed said he had requested his seniors to seek the help of armed forces to launch an effective operation against the bandits equipped with lethal and modern weapons, who could only be eliminated in a joint operation.

The bodies of the martyred cops were handed over to their heirs after the funeral prayers were held at the Police Lines, Mirpur Mathelo. DIGP Sukkur Javeed Sonharo Jiskani, PPP MNA Muhammad Bakhash Mahar, Commissioner Sukkur, Noman Islamuddin Shaikh, SSPs Sukkur, Khairpur, Rangers officials and civil society attended the prayers.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemned the attack on the police and prayed for the early recovery of those injured in the incident. Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari also expressed sorrow over the tragic incident.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah has directed the IGP Sindh to submit a proposal for establishing a Riverine Anti-Dacoit Force, besides reinforcing police pickets and police stations and increasing the police presence in the riverine areas of the province.

Following the incident, Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah along with IGP Sindh Ghulam Nabi Memon reached Sukkur and presided over a law and order meeting at the DIGP office. The meeting was attended by IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon, DIGs of Sukkur and Larkana, and concerned SSPs. Commissioner and deputy commissioner Sukkur, Senator Jam Mehtab Dahar, MNA Nauman Islam Shaikh and MPA Farukh Shah attended the meeting. The meeting offered Dua for the policemen who lost their lives or were injured in the action to recover hostages.

SSP Ghotki Tanveer Hussain Tunio, during the briefing, told the CM said that a gang of 150 dacoits had attacked the police picket in the Katcha area of Raavanti near Obaro with over 25 rockets and other firearms, martyring five police officers, including a DSP and two SHOs and two constables. He said the police team was tasked to recover three hostages from a gang of dacoits.

The CM directed IGP Sindh to submit a proposal for establishing a Riverine Anti-Dacoit Force, besides reinforcing police pickets and police stations and increasing the number of policemen in the riverine areas of the province, preferably locals.

He also directed the IGP to submit a proposal to provide a riverine allowance to police deployed there. CM Murad Ali Shah also directed the IGP to recommend proclaimed offenders among the dacoits involved in hostage-taking for ransom in Sukkur and Larkana divisions. He said the home department would soon notify the head money on those offenders.

Wondering as to how the dacoits were being supplied with sophisticated weapons, he asked the police to develop a strategy to block the supply of sophisticated weapons to dacoits. Later, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah visited injured SHO Ghulam Ali Brohi in Hira Hospital, Sukkur. He also visited the family of martyred inspector SHO Mirpur Mathello, Abdul Malik Kamaghar, in Sukkur and condoled over their loss and pledged them all support.