LAHORE   -   Inspector General Police Punjab Dr Usman An­war on Sunday said more than 60,000 acres of land had been cleared from criminals for the past few months during an ongoing operation in South Punjab Katcha area. In a special video message, the IG said 12 dacoits were killed and 51 arrested while hideouts were eliminated as the op­eration will continue. Dr Usman said more than 50 hostages were safely re­covered from the Katcha criminals while a jawan had embraced martyr­dom and seven policemen were injured. Similarly, 40 checkpoints and 14 base camps were established in cleared areas while six police schools were estab­lished to educate children in Katcha area. Six dispen­saries had also been estab­lished to provide facilities and treatment for local people, he added. The IG said people and business­men could contact Rahim Yar Khan police special number 9230337-068 to avoid any situation. The IG said the department was speeding up measures to protect people from crimi­nals and in this regard co­operation of the masses with the police was also very important.