LARKANA: An explosive situation was created in the Kaccho area of the Khirthar mountain range when seven women and a five-year-old boy were kidnapped by armed tribesmen on Monday apparently to avenge the kidnapping of one woman by rival tribesmen earlier in the day.

Police moved into action as the rival tribesmen took up position and challenged each other in Daffar village near Gul Shah Jo Laro within the jurisdiction of the Drigh police station of Qambar-Shahdadkot district on Monday, sources said.

The episode began with the alleged kidnapping of Ms Majida, wife of Feroz Marfani, whose tribe believed she was taken away by a man, Ali Nawaz Tamani, in Qambar town.

Hours later, Tamani tribesmen took up weapons and kidnapped seven women members of the Marfani clan (a sub-caste of the Chandio tribe), police said, adding that a strong contingent was sent to a specified area to chase the kidnappers and recover the hostages.

According to the police, armed Tamanis intercepted a pick-up carrying the seven women and the child when the vehicle was passing through Gul Shah Jo Laro.

The police identified the hostages as Ms Hajira, wife of Ghulam Abbas, and their daughter, Ms Benazir, Ms Bashul, wife of Mohammed Ali, Ms Haneefa, wife of Meeral, Ms Hayatan, wife of Hamid, Ms Sharifan, wife of Qurban, Ms Sahiba, daughter of Aijaz, and the five-year-old boy, Irshad.