The Pakistan Rangers and Sindh police conducted an operation in Kashmore’s riverine area on Saturday and successfully rescued three Hindu businessmen from the Bhayo gang, leaving two suspects dead during the operation.

A statement from the paramilitary force’s spokesperson said the joint operation carried out against the gang left five other suspects injured but they managed to escape.

It identified the dead suspects as “notorious dacoit Imdad alias Imdo Bhayo, along with his brother, Nazeer alias Mawali alias Miandad”.

The statement said the dead suspect was the “mastermind” behind the abduction of the three traders and five bank employees, adding that there were between 25 and 50 cases against the brothers of kidnappings, encounters, attacks on police pickets, robberies and murders.

It further said that Imdad’s body was taken to Civil Hospital Kandhkot for legal formalities, while search operations were under way to arrest the fleeing suspects.

Suspected bandits operating out of Kashmore are notorious for abductions. A man abducted for a Rs20 million ransom in March by unidentified kidnappers after he left for his home in Sukkur was found dead in Kashmore’s riverine area in May.

According to police sources, the suspected kidnappers were in contact with the family of Agha Sohail Ali Khan and initially demanded Rs20m for his release from his family, later reducing it to Rs10m.