- Sindh CM directs intensified intelligence-based operations as floods flush out bandits
- 159 dacoits killed, 823 arrested; nearly 1,100 operations conducted since Jan 2024: Briefing
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday declared that the elimination of Katcha dacoits was “non-negotiable and must be ensured,” directing the Chief Secretary to prepare a comprehensive development plan for Katcha areas, including roads, schools, hospitals, dispensaries, and transport facilities.
Reviewing the ongoing crackdown on dacoits in the Katcha belt at a meeting, Shah stressed the need to accelerate intelligence-based operations. “The Katcha areas have been flooded, and the outlaws have moved out of their safe havens. This is the time to eliminate them, and the operation must be intensified at all costs,” he emphasized.
The meeting, held at CM House, was attended by Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah, IG Police Ghulam Nabi Memon, Home Secretary Iqbal Memon, Principal Secretary Agha Wasif, Commissioner Karachi Hassan Naqvi, Senior Member Board of Revenue Khalid Haider Shah, Secretary Local Government Waseem Shamshad, Additional IG Azad Khan, COO Water Board Asadullah Khan, and other senior officials.
The Chief Minister directed Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah to prepare a detailed plan for infrastructure development in the Katcha region. He assured that rehabilitation and uplift projects would begin once the flood situation subsides.
Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar and IG Ghulam Nabi Memon briefed the meeting on the progress of operations. Since October 2024, technology-driven crackdowns have been scaled up in the Katcha belt. So far, 760 targeted operations and 352 search operations have been conducted. Since January 2024, police have killed 159 bandits—including 10 in Sukkur, 14 in Ghotki, 46 in Kashmore, and 89 in Shikarpur—while arresting 823 criminals. Eight most-wanted outlaws were also neutralized, and 962 different types of weapons recovered.
Shah noted that construction of the Ghotki–Kandhkot Bridge would open up the region, improving connectivity and strengthening law and order. “The Sindh government’s top priority is to restore peace and security at all costs,” he affirmed.
