LARKANA, Jan 27: Nine people who were kidnapped from the Ratodero-Shahdadkot Road in the Sujawal police station jurisdiction 24 days back returned to Ratodero on Tuesday morning.

They were identified as Rehmatullah Soomro, Nadim Qureshi, Maula Bakhsh Umrani, Abdul Latif Brohi, Ghulam Shabir Rind, Sajjid Jamali, driver Muhib Brohi, cleaner Abdul Karim and Noor Mohammad.

They arrived at the Ratodero police station in the same wagon they had been travelling in when kidnapped. The DPO arrived at the police station and talked to the returned persons.

Later, the released men were brought to the local press club where they told journalists that two persons, who boarded the wagon in Sukkur, overpowered them at gunpoint near the Haider Chowk and took them away.

They said the kidnappers also tortured them. They said they had returned without paying ransom money to the bandits. They were later taken to their hometown of Shahdadkot.

Talking to this correspondent, the DPO claimed that the wagon passengers were released due to the pressure of the police as they had picked up some relatives of the kidnappers.

When contacted, All Pakistan Brohi Mohammad Amin Brohi claimed that joint efforts of tribal chiefs and the police had led to the release of the hostages.He said Mughiri and Jat tribes were involved in the crime.

DIST COUNCIL: The Larkana District Council at a session held on Tuesday demanded removal of local SHOs and appointment of senior police officers to improve the law and order situation in the district. The chief whip of the council, Amir Bakhsh Gaad, tabled the resolution condemning the poor law and order.