Punjab offers reward after removal of top cops after ambush in Katcha – Pakistan

• Last rites for 12 police officers killed in deadly Machka rocket attack
• Police claim one bandit was killed and five injured in the attack
• 20 high-value targets marked as Punjab intensifies crackdown on Katcha bandits
• Sindh assures full support to Punjab counterparts

RAHIM YAR KHAN/LAHORE/KARACHI: Last rites were administered on Friday to 12 policemen killed in a deadly rocket attack on the Punjab-Sindh border. The Punjab government deposed three policemen in Rahim Yar Khan and announced a reward for the arrest of the hardened criminals behind the brazen attack.

Meanwhile, Punjab police claimed to have killed one bandit and injured five others, who are believed to be responsible for the attack on a police team in the Machka riverine area.

Thursday’s attack is being described as the deadliest so far by gangs operating in the riverine areas of Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur in southern Punjab and Ghotki and Kashmore in Sindh.

Reports from injured staff receiving treatment in hospital suggest that their vehicles were not broken down but were attacked by criminals lurking in sugarcane fields along the side of the road.

Meanwhile, Sindh police have assured their counterparts in Punjab of full support in the fight against the criminal gangs operating in riverine areas, Sindh Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon said Dawn that future action by the Punjab Police against these dacoits would have their full support.

The Sindh police chief said they were ready to provide support by deploying troops on possible escape routes and providing armoured personnel carriers and other necessary equipment.

High value goals

On Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced a reward of Rs 10 million for the most valuable criminals, and Rs 5 million to Rs 2.5 million for other dangerous robbers operating in the Katcha areas.

“We have marked 20 high-value targets in the Katcha areas of Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur,” Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar told Dawn.

The provincial police chief said police had made progress and claimed that hardened bandit Bashir Shar had been killed during a chase. Shar was believed to be one of the men behind Thursday’s attack on the police group.

According to Dr Anwar, five of Shar’s accomplices, including Sanaullah Shar, Gada Ali, Kamlu Shar, Ramzan Shar and Gadi, were also injured in the police action.

“The next target is another wanted bandit and we are pursuing him intensively in the river area of ​​Rahim Yar Khan,” he said.

Late on Thursday night, the provincial police chief and other senior police officials contacted Rahim Yar Khan. The additional inspector general of the Punjab Counter Terrorism Department and other senior police officials also spoke to him.

Also present were senior representatives of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Special Branch, Rangers and other security agencies.

CM Maryam Nawaz had directed the police chief to remain in Rahim Yar Khan till Sunday and tasked him with leading a large-scale operation, which was being carried out in coordination with the Sindh police.

Action has been taken against Rahim Yar Khan District Police Officer Imran Ahmad Malik for his alleged failure to ensure safety and security of the local police as per the standard operating guidelines in the troubled area.

In a notification on Friday evening, the Punjab government has appointed Punjab CTD SSP Rizwan Umar Gondal as the new DPO of Rahim Yar Khan.

This is the second time that Gondal has been appointed as DPO of Rahim Yar Khan. Earlier, in 2023, he led a major operation against Katcha bandits, which lasted for several weeks and was considered a success.

He was also the police chief of Mianwali, another district where such criminals are a major problem.

Stake

Sindh IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon said Dawn on Friday that the armed forces of both provinces had coordinated in which they shared intelligence about the bandits.

Subsequently, a red alert was issued and policemen were deployed on possible escape routes across both provinces. He recalled that in the past, when a Punjab police team went deep into the Katcha area and got stuck, they were helped by Sindh, which sent APCs and cut off the supply lines of the criminal gangs.

Following Thursday’s tragic incident, he said, Sindh police have also deployed APCs and additional equipment to assist in the recovery process.

However, he pointed out that there was no clear demarcation of areas in the river belt. He also pointed out that if certain islands were in one province, the peripheral areas were in another province.

It has now been decided to further enhance coordination in the areas around the Sindh-Punjab border, he said.

IGP Memon revealed that criminals use bunkers scattered in the Katcha area to hide from and clash with law enforcers, and also take cover in forest areas or on remote islands in the Indus.

Police sources said the use of rocket launchers by the criminals raised alarm bells. Such weapons are mainly used by terrorists, including the banned BLA and other organisations operating in Balochistan.

They said senior police officials wanted other provinces to work together to achieve positive results.

The Punjab Police have recalled 199 Punjab Constabulary (PC) policemen from Rahim Yar Khan and directed them to report to their respective districts of Dera Ghazi Khan and Bahawalpur.

They will be replaced by PC personnel from Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur districts.

Funerals

Last rites were administered to the 12 dead police officers on Friday at the Sadiq Shaheed police line in Rahim Yar Khan.

Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi, IGP Dr Usman Anwar, Punjab Interior Minister Noorul Amin Mengal, army and police officers, family members of the martyrs and members of the public attended the funerals.

Eleven police officers were killed in a fight with the criminals, while one died on the way to the hospital.

After a police force formed a guard of honor for the martyrs, their bodies were taken to their native regions for burial.

Published in Dawn, August 24, 2024