6 policemen killed during encounter with dacoits in Pak's Sindh province

Karachi, Apr 26 (PTI) At least six policemen were killed by heavily armed dacoits on Wednesday as they were trying to rescue a hostage in the jungle area in Pakistan's Sindh province, authorities said.
    The incident took place in the Jageer area of the Jacobabad district.
    The police personnel who were killed were from the Usta Muhammad police station located in Balochistan’s Jaffarabad.
    Senior police officials confirmed that six policemen were killed and two others were injured in the attack by heavily armed dacoits in Jageer.
    “They were part of a rescue team formed to recover a hostage. The dacoits were demanding a hefty sum to release him,” Jacobabad Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dr Sumair Noor Channa said.
    Channa said that the operation is still continuing as the hostage, Furqan Soomro, has not been released yet.
    Soomro is the son of a rice mill owner in Usta Muhammad Khan town in Jaffarabad near the Sindh and Balochistan border. He was kidnapped at gunpoint a day ago from Jaffarabad.
    Naseerabad Division Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Munir Ahmed Sheikh said that the joint operation will continue till the hostage is released.
    Sheikh further said that the gangs of “Mittu Shah and Jakhrani” were involved in the kidnapping, adding that the Sindh government had already placed a bounty of Rs 3 million on their heads, the Dawn newspaper reported.
    The operation has been expanded with the cooperation of Sindh police and more personnel was on standby if needed, he said.
    Earlier this month, a station house officer was killed while five others, including a deputy superintendent of police, were injured after the dacoits attacked a large police contingent in Sindh’s Kandhkot district to free hostages.
    For years now, gangs of notorious dacoits have ruled the jungle and riverine areas of upper Sindh and they frequently kidnap rich people for ransom and also commit dacoities on the highways.
    In March, the provincial cabinet of Sindh decided to launch a joint operation aimed at cleaning up dacoits in the katcha areas of three provinces – Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan.
    The move was prompted by the frequent incidents of kidnapping for ransom and gangs of dacoits operating from the riverine areas of Sindh, attacking police.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)