KOHAT, Feb 23: Police on Thursday arrested two dacoits following a gun battle in which a constable and a dacoit were injured in the so-called no-go area of Marai.

Officials said the police received a tip-off that a gang of dacoits, involved in highway robberies, terrorism, murders and kidnappings for ransom, was hiding in Sra Godar area of Marai which connects Kohat, Hangu and Orakzai Agency.

A policed team accompanied by the elite force and commandoes surrounded the area after which the dacoits opened firing at the policemen. As a result a police constable, Ali Hussain, was injured who was shifted to hospital.

The dacoits, Ehtesham and Mehtab, who was also injured in the crossfire, were arrested.

The dacoits were shifted to Ustarzai police station where a case was registered against them and the injured dacoit was moved to hospital in police custody.

CHILD PROTECTION: The district administration has directed all the departments to increase coordination with the recently set-up Child Protection Unit (CPU) and to hand over any child in need of protection to the unit.

An introductory meeting of the CPU, chaired by the Kohat District Coordination Officer Shahidullah Khan on Thursday was informed that the unit had started functioning in Nov, last year.The meeting was attended by heads of the line departments, the deputy chief protection officer Mohammad Ijaz Khan, provincial coordinator Shahid Shahab, district child protection officer Ziaullah Khan, and members of different NGOs.

The DCO directed the heads of line departments to keep close liaison with the unit and also depute a focal person in their respective departments. He added children were among the vulnerable groups in the society and needed extra care and protection.The district child protection officer Ziaullah Khan stated that so far they had dealt with cases of corporal punishment and sexual abuse.