HYDERABAD, Jan 23: Police claimed to have set up six ‘strong points’ in riverine areas of Hyderabad and Matiari districts on Monday as they launched the second phase of a search operation on Monday morning in areas of Matiari, Jamshoro, Thatta and Hyderabad districts for recovery of nine people from Karachi kidnapped some time ago.

No exchange of fire took place and police sources claimed to have penetrated deep inside the Samoon area in Hyderabad, Laung Sheedi in Jamshoro and Peero-ji-Dhand in Matiari.

The Superintendent of Police, headquarters, Hyderabad, Pervez Chandio, District Police Officer, Matiari, Arib Mahar, DPO, Jamshoro, Attaullah Chandio, and the DPO, Thatta, Javed Odho, are leading police parties of their respective areas.

Police of Karachi are also participating in the operation. Around 800 policemen are taking part in the operation.

The Karachi police believe that the hostages are kept in kutcha areas of Hyderabad and Matiari districts which have been hideouts of bandits.

The Citizen-Police Liaison Committee and the Anti-Violence Crime Cell are also coordinating with police authorities.

“The areas from where cellphone calls are being made are located in Matiari and Raees Plaza in Hyderabad.

‘‘There is a possibility that the kidnappers are making calls from these areas and keeping hostages in some other places.

They have not talked to families of victims so far,” said a police source.

Police established four points in Matiari and two in Hyderabad in areas which have been used as hideouts by bandits.

“A DSP, along with police force and heavy weapons, has been posted there,” said the source.

Police teams have been informed to cover the North-West area of Jamshoro and Matiari for recovery of the hostages but the Jamshoro police said it had not yielded results.

The operation was halted in the evening after covering a large area and would be resumed on Tuesday morning.

A Karachi police official said around 12 people had gone missing from areas of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gadap, Mango Pir, Sharea Faisal, etc.

Two of them, Majid and Mushtaq Sarki, are said to have reached their homes in Gulistan-i-Jauhar on the eve of Eid after they were released by their kidnappers somewhere in Hyderabad or Matiari.

Their families had received calls for ransom but it could not be known whether they had paid any money to the bandits.