RAHIM YAR KHAN: In a joint operation of the police and the country’s premier intelligence agency, the 11 kidnapped passengers from the Sukkur-Multan Motorway (M-5) have been safely recovered from the notorious Indhar dacoit gang in the early hours of Friday.

According to police spokesperson Zeeshan Randhawa, the police were continuously chasing the dacoits after they kidnapped several people from the motorway a few days ago. He said that after a tip-off, action was taken against the kidnappers and all of the hostages were safely recovered.

As per details, on the night between Sept 4 and Sept 5, the Katcha area dacoits kidnapped 11 people from different vehicles on the Sukkur-Multan Motorway near Nawazabad in Sadiqabad tehsil. The bandits fired at vehicles on the motorway between 1 and 2am to force them to stop at the Azampur Rest Area and the Guddu Interchange.

In the attack, crew of a passenger bus was reportedly injured and shifted to the emergency ward of the Sheikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) in Rahim Yar Khan. Traffic also remained suspended on the motorway for more than four hours, before it was finally restored at dawn.

Incident happened after police operation near Punjab-Sindh border and Indhar gang threatened retribution

South Punjab Additi­onal Inspector General (IG) Kamran Khan told Dawn that between 20 and 25 suspects attacked vehicles on the motorway. “Three people were injured, two of whom suffered minor injuries, so they were discharged. One remains admitted at the hospital with gunshot wounds to the waist and leg,” he said.

SZMCH spokesperson Rana Ilyas Ahmed confirmed to Dawn that three injured were admitted to the facility and one was receiving treatment for a gunshot wound to the leg. The injured were aboard the same coach and hailed from Sheikhupura, he said.

The motorway incident came amid a police operation against the Katcha criminals in which the police used drones in Ronti near the Punjab-Sindh border. The police had destroyed the hideouts of Katcha criminals during the operation.

On the same day, Indhar gang leader Tanvir alias Dodu Indhar threatened the police with retribution. Later on September 8, Dodu Indhar claimed responsibility of the kidnapping. He also claimed that police had killed a person of his tribe after he was released from jail.

He claimed the police was planning a same fate for his brother who would be released in a few months. In another video showing nine of the hostages standing in the floodwater, he claimed that they had killed two of the passengers and demanded the release of his brother. However, all 11 passengers had been recovered alive during the operation.

It is pertinent to mention here that Katcha criminals have kidnapped 72 people so far this year. This is not the first time that the M-5 motorway was targeted by the criminals and after several incidents, the police started escorting vehicles in convoys.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2025