SHIKARPUR: A gang of armed men, said to be dacoits, stormed a police post at Yousuf bridge in the Mahmooda Bagh area of Shikarpur city late on Monday night killing two policemen and taking away an unspecified number of official weapons, Larkana police range DIG Sain Rahkhio Mirani said at a press conference at the Shikarpur SSP office on Tuesday.

The deceased policemen were identified as ASI Haji Mohammed Bundhara, who hailed from Punjab, and Constable Ghulam Rasool Saheto, a resident of Naushahro Feroze.

Soon after the attack, a combing up operation was launched in the area and some suspects were taken into custody, the DIG said, adding that the attack was carried out in retaliation to the ongoing operation against dacoits in the district in which many of them were killed. He said the operation would, however, continue with even faster pace until the entire area was cleared of criminals.

Earlier, the funeral prayers for the slain policemen were offered at the Shikarpur police headquarters. Deputy commissioner Abid Saleem Qureshi, DIG Mirani, SSP Nasir Aftab Khattak and a large number of police officers and personnel attended the funeral.

Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal and the provincial police chief have asked SSP Khattak to conduct a thorough probe into the attack and submit a report at the earliest.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2015