June 06, 2008	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 01, 1429

DADU, June 5: Police claimed to have three kidnap victims released after an encounter late on Wednesday night at Suprio Bund, which serves as a borderline separating Dadu from Qambar-Shahdadkot districts.

Dadu DPO Manzoor Hussain Khatiyan and SP of investigation Sikandar Hussain Mangi told journalists on Thursday that police cordoned off the area after receiving a tip-off that the gang of notorious dacoit Nazroo Narejo was hiding there with kidnapped Hindu traders.

He said that two police teams had had an encounter with the gang, which lasted for half an hour late in the night, and succeeded in getting Ashwani Kumar, Sunil Kumar and Ail Kumar released.

They were kidnapped on April 14 at Khairpur Nathan Shah bypass when they were going to Larkana.

SP investigation claimed that four dacoits were also injured in the encounter but they managed to escape leaving behind the kidnapped traders.

He claimed that no ransom had been paid to the bandits and the police officials who took part in the encounter would be rewarded.

Ashwani Kumar said that the bandits tied his hands and legs and locked him up in a room after kidnapping. They beat him up whenever he demanded food or water, he said.

Anil Kumar said that they used to give them food and water once a day. He said that he was locked up in a room alone, and they used to threaten him that they would kill him soon.

The traders’ uncle, Anand Kumar, said that they had not paid any ransom money to dacoits. Relatives of the released traders distributed sweets to celebrate the homecoming of the occasion.

RAID: A team of the ministry of food raided different flour mills and chakkis in Khairpur Nathan Shah on Thursday and recovered 55,000 flour bags.

Meanwhile, the minister for food ordered transfer of district food controller Rafique Ahmed Rajpar on charges of supporting hoarders and posted in his place Rafique Ahmed Shahani.

HUNGER STRIKE: Over 100 activists of Sindh People’s Students Federation and Sindh People’s Youth observed a token hunger strike outside the press club on the second consecutive day on Thursday in protest against suspension of their leaders by the party’s central leadership.

District presidents of SPSF, Gul Hassan Qambrani and youth wing leader Mohammad Umer Panhwar were suspended by president of Pakistan People’s Party’s Sindh chapter, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, on the complaint of education minister, sources said.