SUKKUR, April 21: The citizens of Mirpur Mathelo blocked the National Highway on Sunday for eight hours following the killing of three people, including two women, at the hands of dacoits on Saturday.

The armed dacoits barged into the house of a villager, Aziz Ahmed, on late Saturday night when the inmates of the house were fast asleep.

One of the residents of the house, a woman, woke up and started shouting for help as a result of which the villagers woke up and offered resistance to the dacoits who opened fire killing Aziz Ahmed and Saima Hakeem on the spot and injuring Ms Hakima Pathan, Jibran, and Arsalan.

The injured were taken to the Sukkur Civil Hospital where Ms Hakima succumbed to her injuries.

The blockade, which began at 6:00am, continued till 2:00pm and ended when some leaders of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam and senior police officials reached the spot and assured the relatives of the victims that the culprits would be arrested within 48 hours.

The people of the area threatened to block the highway again if the culprits were not arrested soon.