SUKKUR: Three members of Dahani clan were shot dead within the jurisdiction of the Punho Bhatti police station near Garhi Khero town on the outskirts of Jacobabad district on Monday.

The families and relatives of deceased Shaukat Ali, Barkat Ali and Allah Jurio alleged that their loved-ones were shot dead by their rivals in a dispute with the Sobo Katohar and Banglani clans. However, the area police claimed that they were gunned down in an encounter with a police team.

The Jacobabad police said in a statement that Shaukat, Barkat and Allah Jurio were wanted by police in a number of cases of robberies and other heinous crime.

Jacobabad SSP Dr Sumair Noor Channa said that a police team spotted the suspects, along with some other associates, standing at a place in the Punho Bhatti area with intention to carry out some criminal activity. Upon seeing the police approaching them, the suspects opened fire, which was returned by the police party, he added. During the encounter, the three suspects were gunned down and their associates fled the area, said the SSP.

The senior police officer said that Shaukat Dahani was wanted by police in give criminal cases and Allah Juriyo Dahani in nine cases registered against them in Larkana, Jacobabad and other districts.

He said their criminal record was being collected from different police stations.

Contesting the police claim, Khan Mohammad Dahani, Yaseen Dahani and other relatives of the victims claimed that their loved-ones were actually gunned down by armed men belonging to the Sobo Katohar and Banglani clans.

They said the police were trying to save the killers by giving the episode a colour of an encounter.

They demanded a fair investigation into the incident.

Burial amid security

Stringent security measures were taken in Bagirji town of Sukkur district to prevent bloodshed during burial of three Ghumro clansmen as the area remained tense after the attack that had also left a passer-by dead on Saturday.

Haji Ramzan, Urs alias Bablu and Kamran were shot dead by assailants, allegedly belonging to the Mahar clan, while they were driving their herd of cattle into the katcha area of Bagirji. Police believed that the assailants might have avenged the killing of two Mahars during a brawl between the two sides over a petty matter on Oct 17, 2018. One member of the Ghumra clan was also killed in the brawl. Sukkur police picked up four suspects soon after the Saturday incident.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2023