At least Seven policemen including SHO M.Hanif Ghauri laid to rest when bandits returned their bodies to police.Police killed four top criminals of Chotu Gang and wounded eight,The Criminals released four injured hostages. 27 police officials taken hostage by gangsters in the ongoing law-enforcement operation to cleanse the riverine area of Rajanpur district in south Punjab.Seven gangsters have also been killed in the ongoing 17 days long operation.A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, lamented that police forces deployed in the operation, named Zarb-i-Ahan, lack proper equipment, weapons and boats to launch an assault on the island.
The operation to dislodge the gangsters is proving to be a tough nut to crack for local police forces, who lack the proper training and equipment to conduct amphibious operations in the riverine areas.
“We used two boats that we acquired privately from locals but we were attacked and lost six men, while 27 were taken hostage, One iof them was killed and four released Now 22 are still in their clutches,” said the police official.
He added that the driver of one of the boats was shot dead, during the sally launched by security forces towards the gangster-controlled island.
The police official also confirmed that police forces have been unable to secure the 20km-long piece of stretch.
“They are getting continuous reinforcements from gangs in and around the area and forces have been unable to secure the area,” elaborated the police official.
In the absence of an effective cordon being established around the island, the gangsters will continue to be resupplied and reinforced.
“Around 200 gangsters are still fighting against police forces.”
The police official blamed poor operational planning by the police department for the casualties sustained, and added the weapons being used by the gangsters are sophisticated modern arms, resulting in the attacking police force often being outgunned and outranged.
Punjab IG Mushtaq Ahmad Sukhera, after attending the funeral of an elite force official, said the operation will continue till the elimination of all terrorists. “The whole nation is at a state of war against the terrorists,” he said.
It is a vast area over 35 kilometres and surrounded by water which gives an advantage to terrorists, he added.
Earlier, the Punjab Police had requested helicopter gunship support from Pakistan Army, but the support is yet to materialise.
Mushtaq Sukhera, the Punjab police chief, had visited frontline checkposts on Tuesday to review the operational strategy. He was accompanied by police officers from Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan, DPOs and senior officials of Rangers.
According to a handout, he had said the fight against the ‘evil elements’ of society had entered a final phase and security forces would eliminate them soon.Police and paramilitary Rangers killed four top criminals of Chotu Gang and wounded eight, while six police officials are martyred and seven injured in Kacha area of Rajanpur in south Punjab, police said Thursday.
"Police killed four top criminals of Chotu Gang and wounded eight, while six police officials are dead and seven injured," Punjab police spokeswoman Nabeela Ghazanfar told .
The operation to flush out the gangsters entered its second week as 1,600 security officials, including police officials and paramilitary Rangers, battled for control of the Kacha area.
"The gang has held 24 persons hostage, including police officials. We are not sure how many civilian and police officials are among the hostages."
Authorities suspect the gang is behind hundreds of cases of kidnapping for ransom, murder and robberies.
"It is a very difficult operation, because the gang has made its hideout on a small island, surrounded by water and dense jungle," Ghazanfar added.
Authorities identified the leader of the gang as Ghulam Rasool, also known as Chotu, who is active in the border areas of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan.
Pakistan launched an armed crackdown in Punjab after bombing in Lahore that killed 72 people last month.
