Operation against dacoit gangs continues in South Punjab, Sindh

• Two policemen abducted from South Punjab's kaccha area have not been recovered yet.
  
• According to Rajanpur police, today is the fourth day of the operation against dacoits for the recovery of police personnel.
  
• The Laadi gang had demanded the release of their comrades in exchange for the release of the officers, say police.
  
• Meanwhile, there have been casualties on both sides during a similar operation in Sindh.

RAJANPUR: Two policemen abducted from South Punjab's kaccha area by a gang of dacoits have still not been recovered, Geo News reported on Saturday.

According to Rajanpur police, today is the fourth day of an ongoing operation for their recovery.

Read more: Ladi gang frees third abductee, forces' operation continues in DG Khan

Police said that the two abducted policemen, Irfan Manzoor and Arshad, were stationed at a police post near the kaccha area, from where they were abducted three days ago.

Rajanpur police said that the Laadi gang, who has the abductees, has demanded the release of their comrades in exchange for the release of the officers.

According to the political administration, the front and temporary shelters of the Laadi gang have been burnt down during the operation, after which gang members have gone into hiding.

The administration says 15 suspects were also arrested in the past day.

Shikarpur operation underway for the seventh day

Meanwhile, an operation against dacoits in Shikarpur, Sindh continues for the seventh day in Garhi Tegho, Director-General (DG) Larkana Mazhar Nawaz Sheikh said.

Read more: Forces reach Ladi gang's hideout, fail to apprehend ringleader

About 300 more police personnel, including 200 commandos from Karachi, have joined the operation. A house-to-house search is also being carried out in kaccha areas, he added.

The official noted that an exchange of fire took place between dacoits and police personnel during the operation. Two dacoits of the Belo Teghani gang were injured in police firing, he added.

Meanwhile, police checkposts are being set up around kaccha areas. Nine out of 12 abductees who were kidnapped from this area have been recovered so far.

According to police, two policemen and a photographer have been martyred and six policemen injured during an attack by the dacoits. Meanwhile, eight dacoits have been killed and 12 injured in the operation.

'Law and order situation under control'

Last night, speaking on Geo News program 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath', Sindh's Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the law and order situation is largely under control in the affected areas.

Read more: Shikarpur anti-bandit operation gains pace with deployment of 700 security personnel

He said that the morale of the police is high and the law enforcers have been given full support.

"There will be no compromise on law and order," Shah asserted.

The provincial minister said that the government will bring the oppressors to justice. "Operation will be on a permanent basis in kaccha areas", he added.

"There were worse situations in the past. Sindh Police has confronted and eliminated such terrorist groups. People could not move from one district to another without a convoy," Shah recalled.

He also vowed that wherever there are tyrants and criminals, the authorities will take strict action against them.