• Incident occurred near Kumbti Bridge on Quetta-Sukkur Highway when bandits attempted to stop police party at gunpoint
• ASI shot during 30-minute exchange of fire with outlaws laid to rest in his native Usta Muhammad

DERA MURAD JAMALI: A police officer was martyred in a gun battle with armed dacoits in the Dhadar area of Kachhi district, police said on Sunday.

Police officials said the incident took place late on Saturday night near Kumbti Bridge at Quetta-Sukkur Highway when a police party was returning to Dhadar from Sibiu after performing their duties.

A group of dacoits blocked the highway and attempted to stop police personnel at gunpoint. The police party, headed by Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Musa Khan Mastoi, offered resistance and took positions when the dacoits opened fire. The exchange of fire continued for nearly half an hour, resulting in the martyrdom of ASI Musa Khan Mastoi.

“Police officer Musa Khan Mastoi received multiple bullet injuries and succumbed to his wounds at the scene,” the SSP Kachhi said. He added that he reached the site along with other police personnel after receiving information about the incident. Other police personnel remained unharmed despite the heavy firing.

The body of the police officer was shifted to the district hospital and later handed over to his family. Musa Khan Mastoi belonged to Usta Muhammad. He was laid to rest in a local graveyard.

A large number of people and senior police officers, including DIG Nasirabad Range Capt (retd) Attaullah and other SSPs, attended the funeral prayers.

Last month, police in the Nasirabad and Kachhi districts had carried out a joint operation and detained eight suspected highway robbers involved in looting passenger buses and other vehicles along the Quetta-Sukkur highway and other areas of the districts.

Inspector General of Balochistan Police Muhammad Tahir had taken notice of the rise in highway robberies and vehicle snatching and directed the deputy inspector general of the Nasirabad range to take action in this regard.

Following intelligence reports, the SSPs of Nasirabad and Kachhi had launched raids with a heavy police contingent on several villages and suspected hideouts linked to the gang.

The armed suspects attempted to flee but at least eight were rounded up and taken into custody.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2026