SANGHAR, Nov 23: A large number of factory owners and businessmen of Sinjhoro have received ransom letters. They have got the letters by post signed by Mumtaz Khoso, the brother of dacoit Adlu Khoso who was killed alongwith Ali Bux Machhi by the Sanghar police in an encounter a few weeks ago.

Through these letters millions of rupees, costly wrist watches and boski turbans have been demanded.

Those who received letters include : Seth Kirshan Ramesh, Bhero Mal, Dr Gian Chand and Seth Anwar.

Kirshan and Anwar were kidnapped by dacoit Ali Bux Machhi while his gang had attacked Sinjhoro, a tiny town about 12 km from here, in which four innocent persons were killed and the very next day police had killed six dacoits.

Sinjhoro is in the grip of terror and people remain indoor soon after sunset.

Seth Kirshan has already shifted his family to Karachi due to the fear of dacoits and others also are ready to shift to safer places and are trying to sale property at throwaway prices. Police have beefed up the security and have established four pickets around the town to thwart any attempt of dacoits.

FACTORY FIRE: About 15000 maunds of Phutti (seed cotton) was reduced to ashes on Friday when fire broke out at Jubilee Cotton Factory on Sanghar-Mirpurkhas road. As no fire brigade vehicle was available in Sanghar, the fire engines were called in from Nawabshah, Shahdadpur and Tando Adam, which were busy to extinguish the fire till filing of this report. The cause of the fire was reported to be a short circuit of electric wires which were put around the heaps of Phutti bags to fix electric bulbs to illuminate the area.