LAHORE    -   On the orders of Inspector General Police Punjab Dr. Us­man Anwar, the operation of the police teams against the criminal elements of Rahim Yar Khan and Rajanpur Kat­cha area continued on the 51st day in which Rajanpur police achieving significant success, cleared more than 80 percent of Katcha area. The IG Pun­jab directed that the fugitive criminals should be arrested by speeding up the targeted operations and punishments should be meted out accord­ing to the legal requirements. Dr. Usman Anwar said that intelligence-based opera­tions should be continued for complete suppression of Kat­cha criminals and operations should be speeded up to sup­press dacoits, organized gangs by the help of police pickets created in cleared areas. A spokesman of Punjab police said that Rajanpur Police killed seven robbers in the op­eration, 43 dacoits including 25 dacoits who surrendered were arrested while nine hos­tages had been safely rescued from the custody of the rob­bers. The spokesman said that after the fierce exchange of fire in Chak Kupra, control of the area had been gained by de­stroying the hideouts of ban­dits in Bahram Mor and Basti Zamkandi and in Chak Kupra. Likewise, Shaban Khambra and Qalu Bangiani had been arrested by the police and two more police pickets had been set up at the ambush sites. 

The spokesperson said that there were reports of injuries of several robbers who es­caped from the area. DPO Ra­janpur Nasir Syal said that the ambush sites of Mujib Lund, the leader of the Lund gang involved in kidnapping for ransom, theft, robbery, daco­ity had been surrounded in Chak Kupra. The said accused was wanted by the police of Rajanpur and other districts in serious crimes including robbery, theft, dacoity and kidnapping for ransom. RPO Sajjad Hasan Khan said that in view of the fierce resis­tance of the robbers and ter­rorists, more police forces equipped with modern weap­ons had reached Chak Kupra and the area was completely surrounded and blockaded to prevent the escape of the dacoits. RPO Dera Ghazi Khan said that as per the decided strategy, the dacoits were being cornered by advanc­ing and repelling them in the area of Katcha Kupra. More­over, as per the orders of IG Punjab regarding Katcha, the dacoits would be completely eliminated.