HYDERABAD, Jan 16: The district police on Thursday recovered a hostage, Ashok Thadhani, who had been in the captivity of dacoits since Oct 10 in the jurisdiction of the Matiari police station. However, two dacoits were killed in the ‘encounter’, one of them by the dacoits themselves.
An ASI of police, Mushtaq Dal, was slightly injured in the shootout.
The DPO (Operations), A. D. Khwaja, told journalist at the DPO (Investigation) office on late Thursday evening that the police had raided a house in Jamshoro and apprehended three men — Manthar Mahar, Ali Sher Mahar, and Badshah Mahar.
He said that Ali Sher Mahar informed the police during the course of interrogation that Ashok Thadani, a contractor of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco), was in the captivity of the dacoits and was being kept in Peru Wali Dhand within the jurisdiction of the Matiari police station.
The DPO said that he constituted different teams led by DPO Investigation Pir Fareed Jan Sarhandi, Additional DPO Sharjeel Karim Kharal, and DSP (Tando Mohammad Khan) Ali Sher Jakhrani. Police also took Ali Sher Mahar with them.
He said that, however, when they arrived at Peru Wali Dhand, the dacoits opened fire on seeing them as a result of which Ali was killed.
He said that police retaliated which resulted in the death of a dacoit, Ghulam Qadir Pakhrio. Another dacoit managed to escape.
DPO Khwaja said that a small machine gun, a Kalashnikov, four magazines, and 100 bullets were seized from the hideout of the dacoits.
JSQM: The chairman, Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, Bashir Khan Qureshi, has said that as long as there was unanimity of views between the JSQM and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement on different issues of Sindh province the former would keep working with the latter.
He was addressing party workers in Qasimabad after leading a rally on Wednesday night.
Mr Qureshi said that those who were opposing the appointment of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad had forgotten that the people living in Sindh were Sindhis regardless of the language they spoke. He said that the JSQM was ready to join hands with all those forces which wanted to raise voice on the issues of Sindh.