DADU: Armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and many other vehicles carrying a strong contingent of police, escorted by commandos, rolled into Mondar, Ismail Ja Bhan, Keti Jatoi and some adjacent villages on Thursday to hunt down a group of armed men believed to be hiding in the area. The suspects were wanted by police for the murder of a policeman a couple of days back.

The wanted suspects had fled Qasai Mohalla, a locality near Mehar town, after a clash with rival community members over a dispute involving control of a piece of state-owned land on Monday (Aug 12) night. The clash continued into Tuesday. A policeman, head constable Zulfiqar Turk, was killed in the clash. He was stated to be part of the rival group. Another constable, Saddam Kalhoro, was wounded and rushed to the Chandka Medical College Hospital in Larkana for treatment.

Amid the clash between the two sides, a team of the area police had rushed to the locality to get the matter settled and restore peace. But the group accused of killing head constable Turk and wounding constable Kalhoro managed to flee the locality. The area police chased the group into the far away village of Khero Bhatti and challenged the suspects. “An encounter took place in which main suspect Nadir Khoso was killed,” according to Dadu SSP retired Captain Amir Saud Magsi, who added that some companions of the deceased suspect were arrested and arms were seized from them. Khoso did not belong to the Shahani community.

A big police force had been in field since Tuesday to apprehend the other suspected associates of Nadir Khoso but without any remarkable achievement.

On Thursday, SSP Magsi, leading an even stronger force of police escorted by commandos, started a combing up operation in several villages. He was assisted by some DSPs, besides SHOs of the areas concerned, in the operation.

Spokesman says many hideouts demolished, women police carrying out house-to-house search

A spokesman for the district police said on Thursday that the operation was aimed at “tackling criminal elements and restore peace amid ongoing dispute between two factions of the Shahani tribe”.

He said that the police force carrying out the operation was equipped with modern weapons and APCs.

“A search is being carried out in the Mondar, Ismail Ja Bhan and Keti Jatoi areas by the force, according to the spokesman, who said women police officers and personnel were assisting their male counterparts in the house-to-house search.

“Multiple potential hideouts and residences associated with criminals were searched,” he said, adding that several hideouts of the embattled groups were also demolished.

Many suspects had been detained for interrogation and verification of their criminal records, he said. The spokesman further said that additional police check-posts had been established in the area of operation.

It is pertinent to mention here that after attending funeral of head constable Zulfikar Turk, Hyderabad DIG Tariq Dharejo had told the media on Tuesday that it was actually a quarrel between two rival groups belonging to the Shahani community that had attracted police intervention on Monday night. According to SSP Magsi, Turk was killed by the group led by Nadir Khoso, who himself was killed by police in an encounter away from Mondar village. He had said that the encounter had taken place near Khero Bhatti village.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2024