Katcha | Pakistan

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar on Wednesday announced a “massive” operation against dacoits in the Katcha areas of the province. Speaking to reporters in Sukkur, Lanjar said a meeting was held wherein it was decided that “we are definitely heading towards a massive operation”. “We will use whatever resources we have, with specific targets and take ruthless action against the infamous dacoits that you see on social media,” he added. Asked when the operation against the riverine dacoits was expected to begin, the minister replied, “You may consider that the operation has begun from today”. Lanjar said dacoits would be “given a chance” to surrender before the courts. “But the absconders or criminals who consider themselves big champions, strict action will be taken against them, there will be a fight, and they will get their just deserts,” he warned. As per the Surrender Policy for Dacoits in Katcha Area of Sukkur and Larkana Divisions, approved by the Sindh cabinet in October 2025, surrendering does no...

RAHIM YAR KHAN: Around 15 dacoits of reportedly hailing from Katcha area attacked a Quetta-bound bus and kidnapped 25 passengers after injuring the driver on Monday night. According to some videos shared on social media after 9:30pm on Monday, a passenger said a Sadabahar Company coach departed for Quetta from Sadiqabad at 8pm. When it reached near Murid Shakh area near Motorway M-5, took a turn towards Guddu at Punjab-Sindh border, some 65kms from here, the dacoits intercepted the coach and started firing. They entered the bus after smashing windows and asked 25 passengers to leave the coach but didn’t harm women passengers. The dacoits reportedly took the passengers towards Katcha area. Some police personnel reached the scene and started chasing the dacoits. During the firing, the coach driver was injured. The district police spokesperson did not attend the phone calls. Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2025

RAHIM YAR KHAN: In a joint operation of the police and the country’s premier intelligence agency, the 11 kidnapped passengers from the Sukkur-Multan Motorway (M-5) have been safely recovered from the notorious Indhar dacoit gang in the early hours of Friday. According to police spokesperson Zeeshan Randhawa, the police were continuously chasing the dacoits after they kidnapped several people from the motorway a few days ago. He said that after a tip-off, action was taken against the kidnappers and all of the hostages were safely recovered. As per details, on the night between Sept 4 and Sept 5, the Katcha area dacoits kidnapped 11 people from different vehicles on the Sukkur-Multan Motorway near Nawazabad in Sadiqabad tehsil. The bandits fired at vehicles on the motorway between 1 and 2am to force them to stop at the Azampur Rest Area and the Guddu Interchange. In the attack, crew of a passenger bus was reportedly injured and shifted to the emergency ward of the Sheikh Zayed Medical College Hospital (SZMCH) i...

Five cops were martyred after bandits of the Katcha area attacked a police checkpoint in Rahim Yar Khan, a statement from the Punjab police said on Friday. For decades, dozens of bandit gangs armed with sophisticated weaponry have operated with impunity in northern Sindh as well as southern Punjab. Kidnappings for ransom, extortion rackets that cripple local businesses, brutal killings and looting people on the major highways have become a daily reality. According to a statement from the office of the Inspector General of Punjab, almost 40 bandits, using rocket launchers and grenades, attacked the Sheikhani police picket in the Katcha area, situated between Chowk Sewetra and Chowk Mahi near the Guddu-Kashmore Road on Thursday night. “During the attack, policemen of Elite Force, including Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Saleem and Nukhail of Bahawalnagar, together with Khalil and Ghazanfar of Rahim Yar Khan, were martyred,” the statement said, adding that a bandit was also killed when the police retaliated. Following...

Despite dozens of police operations in the Katcha areas of Rajanpur, no substantial success has been achieved