Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar on Wednesday announced a “massive” operation against dacoits in the Katcha areas of the province.

Speaking to reporters in Sukkur, Lanjar said a meeting was held wherein it was decided that “we are definitely heading towards a massive operation”.

“We will use whatever resources we have, with specific targets and take ruthless action against the infamous dacoits that you see on social media,” he added.

Asked when the operation against the riverine dacoits was expected to begin, the minister replied, “You may consider that the operation has begun from today”.

Lanjar said dacoits would be “given a chance” to surrender before the courts. “But the absconders or criminals who consider themselves big champions, strict action will be taken against them, there will be a fight, and they will get their just deserts,” he warned.

As per the Surrender Policy for Dacoits in Katcha Area of Sukkur and Larkana Divisions, approved by the Sindh cabinet in October 2025, surrendering does not mean pardon or immunity.

All surrendering individuals shall face the prevailing law of the land, officials told Dawn, though voluntary surrender may be considered a mitigating factor in sentencing by courts.

The Sindh home minister appreciated the Punjab government for its support in a recent “successful” operation wherein a no-go Katcha area was vacated.

Responding to a question about whether the army’s help will be sought, Lanjar said, “The Sindh police is capable and the Rangers are with us in this, so I do not think we will need the army in our internal matters here.“

The minister further asserted that the required modern equipment will be provided to the personnel.

When a reporter mentioned that the dacoits employed drones, Lanjar said, “I do not think drones have reached them. Action is definitely being taken against their facilitators, too.”

On the possibility of a joint operation carried out by the Sindh and Punjab police, Lanjar said he has directed the Sindh inspector general to speak with his Punjab counterpart and the Bahawalpur regional police officer regarding the matter.

“This will surely happen only after a joint effort,” he stressed, noting that the area of Machka extends into Punjab. “I have strong hopes that we will wipe out these dacoits,” Lanjar said.

Asked about tribal disputes, the Sindh minister said this matter was also discussed in today’s meeting, and they had made the relevant contacts regarding the Jatoi-Mahar clash as well.

Although the Katcha areas extend to many districts of the central and southern Sindh, the districts such as Kashmore, Ghotki, Shikarpur and Jacobabad are particularly notorious for high prevalence of crimes like dacoity, kidnap for ransom and tribal conflicts.

On December 16, around 25 dacoits had attacked a bus near the Sindh-Punjab border and kidnapped 20 passengers after injuring the driver. The police recovered all the travellers unharmed the next day in a large operation.

When the Tanvir Indhar gang kidnapped at least 10 people from multiple vehicles on the Sukkur-Multan Motorway (M-5) in Sadiqabad tehsil on Sept 5, 2025, it marked the first reported instance of Katcha gangs directly accessing M5 within Punjab’s limits.

As a safety measure, the police in Rahim Yar Khan later started running escorted night convoys on M-5 to protect motorists from dacoit gangs.

The Sindh and Punjab governments had vowed decisive action against the Katcha outlaws in August 2024, after a dozen policemen were martyred in a deadly attack by dacoits in the Machka area.