RAHIMYAR KHAN/SUKKUR/LAHORE: The Punjab police, under the leadership of Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar, has launched an operation against criminal gangs in the Katcha area. The Sindh police also took part in it.
About 2,000 soldiers have been sent from Punjab for the operation whereas 11,000 policemen are also participating in it.
Punjab IGP Usman Anwar himself reached the area in Rahim Yar Khan and personally supervised the operation. He said he was leading the campaign started on the orders of the National Security Committee.
On the first day of the operation, police teams arrested robbers and destroyed their hideouts.
The accused attacked the convoy of the Punjab IGP and injured a head constable of the Bahawalpur RPO. He was shifted to Lahore for treatment.
In an exchange of fire, a robber was killed while six others were arrested. IGP Usman Anwar, Bahawalpur RPO Rai Saeed Babar and DPO Rizwan Umar Gondal told media representatives at the DPO Office that all political and military leadership were on the same page regarding the operation. “Even after the completion of the operation, the police will stay in the areas to ensure the rule of law,” the IGP said.
He said police outposts in the area had been fully restored while efforts were being made to clear the interior areas. He said that intelligence-based operations were going on earlier, while today the operation was launched to clear the interior areas.
Besides, the IGP declared the recovery of two children in Khanpur a manifestation of the police professionalism and announced a cash reward of Rs1.2m and certificates of appreciation to the DPO and his team.
Earlier, the Sindh police had started the operation and later the Punjab police joined it.
According to Bhong ASP Shahzeb Chachar, the areas would be completely cleared of criminal elements, organised gangs and hardened criminals once and for all. He said that 600 police personnel had been deployed and 12 camps set up in the Machko area. “It is an intelligence-based operation launched against seven criminal groups of Sindh when they entered the Katcha area of Punjab,” he added.
Sindh IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon will reach Sukkur today to review the operation against dacoits in Sukkur and Larkana regions.
Meanwhile, caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi telephoned Inspector General of Police Usman Anwar. Naqvi inquired after the injured police personnel due to the firing of criminals in the police operation in the Katcha area.
Naqvi said that the joint operation launched by Punjab and Sindh Police in order to purge the Katcha area from criminal elements is ongoing and successful adding that the operation will continue till the elimination of the last criminal person.
He lauded the police officers and personnel participating in the operation.
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