KHAIRPUR, April 28: The entire staff of the Rasoolabad police outpost and the SHO of Ranipur were placed under suspension following the looting of passengers of a coach (PLM-393) on the National Highway, near Thehri, on Tuesday night. The robbery sparked a protest and the blockade of the highway for an hour.

Reports reaching here said that when the Peshawar-bound Al-Mecca bus coming from Karachi, reached near Rasoolabad, five persons boarded the coach and when the coach reached near Thehri, they took out their weapons, overpowered the passengers and looted all the passengers and deboarded near the Thehri bypass.

According to passengers, they were robbed off their valuables worth Rs1 million, including cash, ornaments, wristwatches, clothes and other valuable goods. Later, passengers and drivers of others buses and trucks staged a sit-in on the National Highway, which lasted for an hour.

The DPO of Khairpur along with heavy contingent of police rushed to the scene, negotiated with the protesters and assured them that the culprits will be arrested within 48 hours, on this the blockade was ended.

Later, the DPO suspended the entire staff of police out post of Rasoolabad on the charges of negligence. He said it was a gross negligence on the part of police, as the dacoits boarded the bus in front of police out post.

Those placed under suspension include the in charge of the police post, ASI Mohammad Rafiq Mohio, constables Mohammad Ashraf Leghari, Rasool Bux, Ghous Dino and Ashraf Solangi. The DPO also suspended the SHO of Ranipur who failed the check the movement of dacoits after the robbery.