January 9, 2006	Monday	Zilhaj 8, 1426

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HYDERABAD, Jan 8: A joint operation by the Karachi, Hyderabad, Matiari and Jamshoro police was launched on Sunday under the supervision of the Regional Police Officer (RPO) Hyderabad, Bachal Sangri, to recover more than one dozen people, kidnapped from Karachi over the past one month. The operation was launched after the newly-inducted Provincial Police Officer, PPO, Sindh, Mr Jehangir Mirza, directed quick recovery of over one dozen hostages, some of them were believed to be held hostage in Thatta, Hyderabad and Matiari. The directive was issued at a meeting attended by the DPOs of Hyderabad, Thatta and Matiari in Karachi. The Chief of the Anti Violent Crime Cell (AVCC), Farooq Awan, is leading a separate team of police officials from Karachi in this respect.

Around 500 to 600 policemen from Hyderabad, Jamshoro and Matiari, searched the kutcha area of Hyderabad, Matiari and Jam-shoro in their respective jurisdictions but without any success.

“No exchange of fire is reported but the search would continue till the recovery of the hostages”, said a police source. He said that neither any hideout was destroyed nor nay hostage could be found. A Matiari police officer said the joint operation had been launched to recover around 15 to 16 people kidnapped so far. He claimed that the pace of operation would gain momentum as soon as credible information is received about the hideouts of the kidnappers.

A Karachi police official claimed that there were twelve people who have in fact gone ‘missing’ randomly and not formally kidnapped for ransom. These people were residents of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gadap, Mangho-pir, Sharae Faisal police stations.

The AVCC chief Farooq Awan declined to disclose the identity of the hostages and said that there had been no telephone calls demanding payment of ransom that’s why it could not be believed that they had really been kidnapped.