Pakistani court upholds death sentences for 14 members of Chhotu Gang

Lahore, Sep 12 (PTI) A Pakistani court on Thursday upheld the death sentences of 14 outlaws of the notorious Chhotu gang in Punjab province of Pakistan.
     The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) handed down death sentences to 20 members of the gang in 2019 for their involvement in the 2016 killing of six policemen in Rajanpur Kutcha area.
     “The Lahore High Court's Multan bench on Thursday upheld the death sentences of 14 convicted outlaws of the Chhotu Gang on 18 counts, while acquitted six others, giving them benefit of doubt,” a court official told PTI.
     Those whose death sentences have been upheld included the gang’s ring leader Ghulam Rasool, also known as Chhotu.
     The official said the LHC has decided the appeal of the convicts against the anti-terrorism court’s decision after five years.
     In 2016, police teams in Rajanpur district launched an operation against the gang in a forest area, but came under attack from the criminals. During the assault, six policemen were killed, eight others were injured, and 24 more were taken hostage by the gangsters.
     Recently, the outlaws shot dead 12 policemen and injured seven. However, the Punjab government, led by Maryam Nawaz, is yet to initiate a decisive operation to root out the criminals from the area.

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