SUKKUR, Jan 30: Over 70 villagers, including women and children, were released from the Dakhan police station in the Shikarpur area on Saturday apparently in response to demands made by kidnappers of two judges.

Those freed are relatives of Shamoo Jatoi, Amano Tunio, Khadim Lolai, Mirza Kharoos, Esso Shar, Ahmed Jatoi and other bandits and they were detained to put pressure on the kidnappers to release judges Abdul Wahab Abbasi and Farooq Ahmed Channa.

However, even after the release of the judges, a police cordon of Hafizabad and Walan Kharos villages continues. Confirming the release of the villagers, the SHO of the Dakhan police told this correspondent that the siege of the villages would continue till the kidnappers of the judges surrendered.

According to informed sources, the release of the judges is the outcome of a deal with wanted outlaw Sadhu Narejo and a TPO and SHO of Larkana. An inmate of Sukkur jail, Bagoo Jatoi, and bandit Bachlo Teghani played an important role in brokering the deal under which Rs. 2.5 million ransom was paid to Sadhu Narejo.

The sources said that police had planned to staged an encounter to give an impression that the release of the judges was not the result of a deal. It could not be staged because the kidnappers did not release the judges on the time agreed in the deal.