SUKKUR: A gang of more than 10 dacoits trapped a prisoners’ van from all sides, held the escorting policemen at gunpoint and badly thrashed them before taking away their ringleader, Mohib Narejo, with them in the Kingri taluka of Khairpur district on Thursday.

The police team was escorting Najrejo back to prison in the van after producing him in a court in Khairpur. Narejo was wanted by police in a number of cases of heinous crimes registered against him at various police stations of upper Sindh districts.

It was not known whether the van carried other prisoners or whether they were also taken away by the gang.

Sources in the area said that all [three or four members of the police team were injured by the gang, which comfortably drove away towards the gang-infested area of Khairpur district.

Khairpur SSP Samiullah Soomro, leading a strong contingent of police, rushed to the site of the incident to collect information and evidence. He was briefed about the episode by the injured policemen.

Later, the SSP told the media that a strategy was chalked out and a fully equipped police team was sent into the gang-infested area to re-arrest Narejo along with his gang members.

The police team reportedly carried out raids at suspected hideouts of the outlaws in different villages and picked up 10 people for interrogation.

An FIR of the attack on prisoners’ van and policeman or escape of Narejo from police custody was yet to be registered.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2024