RAHIM YAR KHAN: Despite a massive anti-dacoits operation and tall claims by police regarding smashing of gangs, the Katcha area criminals seem to be re-surging in the Indus riverine area, where they recently torched a sugarcane field and later warned local farmers against cooperating with police through social media video clips.

As per local sources, on Thursday last a gang comprising around 30 heavily-armed dacoits arrived at a sugarcane farmin Chowk Mahi area near Nawazabad in Machka police station limits, and set the crop over 10 acres on fire.

The farm was said to be owned by the family of a filling station owner, whose nine relatives were gunned down by Indhar gang some two years ago.

Recently, these dacoits allegedly killed ten persons, including policemen and farm workers in an audacious attack in RYK Katcha area. The police later claimed the incident was an encounter in which three dacoits were killed, while two policemen were martyred.

A day after the crop burning incident, a video clip was purportedly shared on social media by Wahab Lund, the ringleader of Lund Gang.

In the video clip, wherein Wahab can be seen with another member of his gang, he apparently warned local farmers that they should not compel the dacoits to burn their sugarcane crops (by cooperating with police or becoming informers).

He alleged that the government was making false claims of having control over the Katcha area, and added that they (dacoits) had huge stocks of weapons.

The clip seems to be corroborating his claim by showing latest heavy weapons in his possession.Wahab and his associate further claimed that they were in the area for the farmers’ interest, giving a “24-hour ultimatum” apparently to police to desist from taking any step againstthem, “otherwise we will also retaliate”.

Later, on Saturday last, another video clip was uploaded on social media in which a criminal, Shahru Doolani, and his gang members could be seen at an unidentified location in Katcha area with rocket launchers and other latest heavy weapons. The criminals claimed responsibility for setting sugarcane crop in Chowk Mahi area ablaze.

“Police could not secure you, and if police [took any] further [step] to harm us, it will directly affect you (the farmers) and neither your sugarcane crop will exist, nor your property will be safe from dacoits,” the outlaw says, threatening to use the heavy weapons against the farmers.

Meanwhile, soon after the Machka incident, two inspectors of RYK police were transferred to Bahawalpur. Sources say that both inspectors — Naveed Wahla and Saif Ali Malhi — who were posted in Katcha area police stations and took part in several operations there, were facing allegations of owning hundreds of acres in the riverine area and being on “good terms” with the dacoits.

In last December, the Punjab government had imposed a ban on cultivation of sugarcane crop for a month in some areas of Sadiqabad tehsil for “public safety” during the operation against dacoits’ hideouts in Katcha area.

However, the decision could not be enforced by the district administration and police in the area. The sources say still thousands of acres of sugarcane crop existed in the Katcha area where criminals attacked on Nov 30, 2023.

In November, 2023 the Punjab government had decided to establish a base station in the Katcha area, along with 19 police posts and joint check posts in the four districts, including RYK, bordering other provinces. The move is aimed at checking infiltration of terrorists into Punjab, curb smuggling and strengthen monitoring and security systems.

However, locals are of the view that the only long-term solution to the issue of crime in Katcha area could be an army operation on the pattern of the one launched against Chotu Gang in the past. They says that the recent police operation in the area could not give long-term results.

Police spokesperson Saif Ali Wains told Dawn that the two inspectors were transferred to Bahawalpur as part of a routine reshuffle in the department. He denied the allegations leveled against these officials. He claimed that “facilitators” of dacoits were not happy with the inspectors and were “hatching conspiracies” against them.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2023