RAHIM YAR KHAN:
Armed dacoits launched a attack late Wednesday night on M-5 Motorway near Bhong Sharif, opening fire on passing vehicles, injuring several people and abducting at least 10 passengers and truck crew members.
According to police, a group of heavily armed dacoits ambushed the motorway near Bhong, firing indiscriminately at every vehicle that crossed their path. Multiple cars, two passenger coaches, and several trucks and trailers came under fire.
A woman and a child were among four people critically injured and were shifted to Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan.
Over a dozen vehicles sustained severe damage, with many tires burst during the assault.
Motorway Police temporarily suspended traffic near Guddu Interchange and service areas as security forces responded to the attack. Traffic was restored later in the day after enhanced security deployment.
Police sources confirmed the attackers fled toward the riverine “kacha” areas after the firing. Several trucks were left abandoned on the motorway, with their crew missing.
Eyewitnesses said the dacoits abducted around 10 people at gunpoint.
The incident comes days after Rahim Yar Khan Police carried out drone strikes on hideouts of the notorious Indhar gang in the kacha area. Following the operation, gang leader Tanveer Indhar had issued threats in a video message.
Police have registered a case at Bhong Police Station on the complaint of Nawazabad Checkpost Incharge.
A search operation has been launched, though authorities have so far refrained from issuing a detailed statement.
Regional Police Officer Rai Babar Saeed has reached Rahim Yar Khan to oversee the situation.
Earlier on January 14, armed gangsters from the Indhar gang launched a deadly attack on Basti Lashari in the Zahir Pir area of Rahim Yar Khan, targeting relatives of Osman Chandia, a police informant.
The attack, reportedly a revenge strike for the death of the notorious gangster Janu Indhar, left four people dead, including three teenage boys.
Police said the Indhar gang carried out the assault to avenge the killing of their leader, Janu Indhar, who was eliminated in a covert police operation in July 2021 with Osman Chandia’s assistance.
Indhar had been implicated in the murders of over 10 police officials and civilians, including a mass killing of nine family members in Rahim Yar Khan’s Mahi Chowk in 2021.
The deceased included Osman Chandia’s uncle, Zaman Gul and three young cousins — Sajan, Madni and Guddu who were brothers.
