DADU: Four occupants of a taxi were shot dead and another one was wounded in an attack by armed men near Sher Mohammed Solangi village, some 13 kilometres from here, on Qomi Charo Road on Thursday.

The deceased victims included the taxi driver, who was carrying four litigants to a court in Dadu for the hearing of their case.

Initial investigation suggested that the incident was the latest of a series of such attacks involving two groups of the Chandio clan embroiled in a dispute for over 27 years. The dispute, which started over tree

felling, has so far claimed the lives of 40 people, besides leaving about 30 others wounded.

The victims of the latest attack had left Sobho Khan Chandio village of Dadu taluka in the morning but armed men waylaid them while they were passing by Sher Mohammed Solangi village within the jurisdiction of the Makhdoom Bilawal police station. The attackers managed to flee after committing the crime.

The police took the bodies and the wounded victim to the Dadu Civil Hospital, where the deceased victims were identified as Ali Bukhsh Chandio, son of Bahadur Chandio, Budhal Chandio, son of Mohabbat Chandio, Riaz Chandio, son of Maula Bukhsh Chandio, and Riaz Langah, son of Illahi Bukhsh Langah (the taxi driver).

The wounded victim was identified as Hussain Bukhsh Chandio and his condition was stated to be critical.

The bodies were handed over to the heirs after a post-mortem examination.

SHO Akbar Chandio of the A-Section police station verified reports about the 27-year enmity between two groups of the Chandio clan, adding that the latest attacks seemed to linked with the same hostility.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

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