SHIKARPUR: Khanpur deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Rao Shafiullah was killed and one of his subordinates, constable Babar, sustained bullet wounds in an encounter with a gang of criminals during an operation in the katcha area of Garhi Tegho in Shikarpur district on Monday.

The police team was sent deep into the katcha area — infested with criminal gangs — to recover a known singer of Sindh, Ghulam Nabi, alias Jigar Jalal Chandio, and his four companions who were apparently kidnapped and handed over to a gang a day earlier. The other companions of Chandio were his son Aftab Ahmed, nephew Ameer Ali, and co-artists Lateef Tunio and Bahadur Ali.

Naparkot police were informed by some guests at a music programme held on Saturday night as part of a wedding ceremony that the hosts of the event, belonging to the local Teghani community, had entered into a contract with the singer under which he was supposed to perform with his team and also bring in some female dancers. The hosts were annoyed when the singer’s team arrived at the function late and without any dancer. They escorted the singer’s team, riding a car, into an undisclosed place within the katcha area and asked the car driver to go away along with his vehicle. Since then, the whereabouts of the singer and his team were not known.

On Tuesday, the police team led by DSP Shafiullah tried to surround a possible hideout of the kidnappers in an attempt to reach and recover Jigar Jalal and his companions. During the operation, the police team came under a volley of fire. An encounter ensued during which the DSP lost his life and constable Babar sustained bullet wounds, Khanpur police said.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2019