18 others injured, outlaws used advanced weapons, police APC destroyed in a rocket attack
As many as 18 people, including a policeman, women and children, lost their lives when groups of armed bandits clashed in the Katcha area of Sindh. The violent volley also left 18 others injured. According to the police and the people of the area, “Since Thursday, Ronti has turned into a battlefield, with continuous sounds of explosions and gunshots echoing through the region.”
The violence erupted overnight between Wednesday and Thursday when more than 50 armed members of the Shar gang stormed the village of Mahboob Seelro. The attack, both sudden and well-coordinated, caught members of the Seelro tribe by surprise, resulting in six deaths. The attackers used modern automatic weapons, leaving 18 people – including women and children – injured.
Reports from the area indicate that the Shar gang was supported by members of the Kosh tribe, longtime rivals of the Seelro tribe. In retaliation, the Seelro tribe launched a counterattack, forcing the Shar gang to retreat and take cover in an Otaq (a local meeting place). Intense gunfire ensued, trapping the bandits inside.
More than 500 police officers from Sukkur and Ghotki reached the spot in armored vehicles, triggering a day-long exchange of heavy fire. Contrary to police expectations, the Shar Gang used rocket launchers against security forces, destroying an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), killing a police officer and injuring several others.
As the fight escalated, additional police forces were sent to the Katcha area where they launched a large-scale operation against the gangs. According to police sources, the Shar Gang suffered significant casualties, with 12 members killed, while others fled – with the bodies of four comrades killed and some associates injured.
SSP Ghotki Anwar Khetran informed Express Pakinomist that his team had been deployed in Katcha area for the last two days and had only just returned after intense gun battle.
“When the police reached the area, bandits of the Shar Gang fired at least five shells from an anti-tank weapon, RR 75 at our APCs. One of our vehicles was hit by a shell, completely destroying the double-layered armored car. As a result, one police officer was martyred and two others injured,” Khetran noted.
Answering an inquiry from Express Pakinomist on how such advanced weapons reached the bandits and which gangs possessed it, Khetran said: “It is deeply worrying that anti-tank weapons – which pose an extreme threat to the police, are not only in the hands of the Shar gang, but also with other groups active in the Sindh and Punjab Katcha areas, including the Mazari, Jagirani and Teghani gangs.”
Khetran further explained that the RR 75 is a Russian-made military weapon used during the Soviet-Afghan War. “There is a possibility that these deadly weapons were found as scrap and later acquired by various criminal groups operating in the Katcha region,” he said.
After almost 24 hours of fighting, the police recovered eight bodies from Otaq. During identification, authorities confirmed that one of the slain bandits was identified as Shahnawaz alias Shahu, a notorious leader of the Shar gang involved in the killing of 12 Punjab police officers.
Shahu on the most wanted list with Rs5 million money
On 24 August 2024, Shahu and his group attacked Punjab Police personnel in Fatehpur area of Rahim Yar Khan. The officers were returning from the police line when their van broke down.
The bandits attacked from multiple directions using advanced weapons and rocket launchers, killing 12 officers and injuring several others. After the ambush, Shahu was placed on the most wanted list of both Sindh and Punjab police with a bounty of Rs 5 million.
A senior police officer familiar with operations in Sindh and Punjab’s Katcha regions said the real conflict in Sindh’s Katcha belt is tribal in nature. The Shar gang enjoys the support of the Kosh tribe, while the Seelro tribe is supported by the Bhatta, Mashi and Dhundo tribes.
Sources revealed that tensions in Ronti, Ghotki and Ubauro intensified last year following a dispute between the then SSP Hafeez-ur-Rehman Bugti and DIG Pir Muhammad Shah. Both accused each other of harboring bandits, prompting the Sindh Inspector General to remove them from their posts.
Earlier, the Sindh Police had formed a special force comprising members of the Seelro tribe to counter the activities of the Shar Gang. The force, headed by SHO Shakur Lakho – allegedly close to DIG – was accused by the Shar gang of receiving weapons, police vehicles and armored vehicles from the authorities.
Former MPA Shehryar Shar, a member of the Shar tribe, had tried to broker a ceasefire between the police and the gang and persuaded the bandits to surrender. However, during the reconciliation process, Umar Shar, deputy chief of the Shar tribe (also known as Makhdoom), was killed. His death was blamed on the private force allegedly backed by the Sindh Police, which included members of the Seelro tribe.
