SUKKUR, April 27: Armed bandits made a police-protected convoy hostage on the Indus Highway in the Bakhshapur police station jurisdiction on Saturday night and kidnapped four men after looting passengers and drivers.
The outlaws also injured eight persons.About 300 passengers and drivers were robbed of thousands of rupees in cash, jewellry and other valuables.
The police were escorting a convoy of seven passenger buses and 50 trucks when about 30 outlaws, who apparently came from Balochistan in two groups, blocked the Indus Highway near the Kutcha Pul and at gunpoint made police personnel hostage.
The bandits opened fire after some of the truck drivers offered resistance. Frontier Constabulary personnel Mohammad Iqbal was among those who were injured in the firing.
The driver of a bus (BSA 313), Mohammad Hanif, the conductor of the bus, Hassan, a truck diver and another person were kidnapped by the bandits. The name of the latter two could not be immediately ascertained.
However, when this correspondent contacted the DPO of Jacobabad, Din Mohammad Baloch, he denied that the outlaws had injured eight persons and kidnapped four men.
He said only a Frontier Constabulary official was injured and two drivers were missing.
Later, about 270 passengers of buses and 50 truck drivers blocked the Indus Highway for eight hours, demanding protection to passengers on the highway.
SUSPENDED: Sindh Chief Minister Ali Mohammad Mahar has suspended Rohri Taluka Hospital medical superintendent Dr Kareem Kandhar and Pano Aqil Taluka Hospital medical superintendent Dr Ejaz Shaikh.
Mr Mahar further ordered to hold an inquiry into the matter and submit the report within 15 days.
Acting Sukkur Naib Nazim Iqbal Dawood made a surprise visit to the two hospitals two days back where he was informed by people that patients were not given medicine despite a huge stock was available at the hospitals.
The people also complained that doctors of the two taluka hospitals and the MS Anwar Paracha Hospital were involved in selling government hospitals’ medicines in open market.
Mr Dawood sent a report to the Sindh chief minister who suspended the medical superintendents of the hospitals.
He also appealed to the secretary for health to pay surprise visits to the hospitals and take action against corrupt doctors.
OIL TANKERS: The All Pakistan Oil Tanker Owners Association has threatened to stop the supply of fuel to grid stations of Hesco if the police did not provide protection to oil tankers.
The threat was extended by the association’s chairman, Yousuf Shahwani at a press conference here on Saturday.
