LARKANA, April 27: Three women of Jalbani clan were shot dead on Thursday in Bado Jalbani Village, on the outskirts of Ratodero, 40 kilometres from here.

Two families of Shahbazi and Shadan Jalbani are closely related and they lived in adjoining houses in the village. The fimiles were embroiled in a dispute for some time.

On Thursday, nine armed men broke into the house of Shahbazi Jalbani and tried to kill him. When women in the house resisted, the armed men opened fire and killed Ms Irshad, wife of Shahbazi Jalbani, and Ms Akhtiar Khatoon, wife of Nizamuddin Jalbani, on the spot.

The third victim, Ms Benazir, wife of Mukhtiar Jalbani, who was pregnant, was taken to the Chandka Medical College Hospital in a critical condition where she died. The assailants fled from the scene after committing the crime.

The groups of Jalbanis had developed the dispute after the theft of a buffalo. The bodies were handed over to the relatives.