Police high-ups decide operation strategy to rid Katcha area of bandits

Extraordinary strategies will be adopted to deal with robbers in the Katcha area of Sindh, said Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon while chairing a meeting at the Central Police Office (CPO) on Thursday.

Officials said IGP Memon presided over the meeting and discussed all the issues and measures regarding the implementation of the decisions for the success of the operation against the robbers of the Katcha area.

The Sukkur DIG, and SSPs of Ghotki, Sukkur, Shikarpur and Kashmore-Kandhkot attended the meeting through video link and gave separate briefings on the results and success of measures such as intelligence-based operations against robbers.

The Sindh police chief said technical support from the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) would also be ensured for organised operations against the robbers in Katcha areas and safe recovery of hostages. Cooperation between the police and CPLC in this regard would definitely be useful and fruitful, he remarked.

The IGP said all steps had been taken to provide a monthly allowance of Rs10,000 to the police personnel posted in Katcha areas, and since this allowance was only for the personnel of Katcha areas, it should be ensured that it was not given to any guard or gunman or other staff, or else all the responsibility would be fixed on the SSPs concerned who would face punishment.

He added that it was a big challenge for the police and law enforcement agencies to rescue the hostages from the Katcha areas. The robbers and their patrons, who had been luring innocent citizens from all over the country through social media with jobs, business, relationships, money and cheap vehicles, etc., and demanding huge ransom from their families after abducting them, he said.

He said the police check posts established in the Katcha areas of Sindh should be made more active and effective to prevent such incidents and random snap checking should be ensured on the highways under foolproof measures.

IGP Memon directed to put a mechanism in place for regular contact with the families of the hostages regarding their recovery. He said that all possible steps should be taken to keep a close watch on the people coming from the Kutcha to urban areas. All other stakeholders and law enforcement agencies should be taken on board in the action against the bandits in the Katcha area and special attention should be paid to their suggestions, he added.

Officials said that a handsome amount of grant was also sanctioned by the Sindh government for the Sindh police for the purchase of weapons that could be utilised in the Kutcha areas and orders have been send to the weapons factory concerned. The deliverance process shall be completed in the coming two months.