Seven policemen recovered from bandits’ captivity in Rahim Yar Khan

RAHIM YAR KHAN: Police personnel on Monday successfully carried out an operation in Rahim Yar Khan to recover seven policemen who had been kidnapped by bandits the previous day.

The policemen had been abducted when over three dozen armed robbers attacked a police checkpost on Sunday, abducting the policemen and taking them across the river with them.

A strong police contingent backed by armoured personnel carriers was called in to mount an operation against the bandits.

Two gunship helicopters were also used in the operation, which carried out shelling on the outlaw's den in the marshy 'kachcha' areas of Ronti.

Taking advantage of the operation, which continued late into the night, the kidnapped policemen managed to escape the captivity of the outlaws and fled to a nearby village.

Policemen from Rahim Yar Khan, Ghotki, Sukkur and Khairpur took part in the operation.

Officials say police personnel are carrying out a search operation in the area to arrest the bandits.

Bandits have been active in the border region of Sindh and Punjab provinces for decades.

Law enforcement agencies had driven bandits out of the area a few years ago but they started operating again recently, shuttling between the area and the border towns of neighbouring Sindh province.

The military launched a full-scale operation against them in Sindh in the early 1990s but they resurfaced after failures to maintain law and order in the area.