Ghotki: Police say recovered kidnapped bus passengers

GHOTKI: Police on Tuesday said that the passengers kidnapped by bandits from a bus, have been recovered while a dead body also found from sugarcane farmland.

A gang of bandits had attacked a passenger bus at Guddu-Kashmore link road this morning and abducted 18 passengers, according to early reports.

DSP Obauro Abdul Qadir Soomro has said that the police launched a search operation after the incident and 10 passengers have been recovered from the katcha area of Sonmiani. “A body of a passenger was found from sugarcane farmland”.

“Police has overall saved 13 bus passengers and search operation has been still ongoing in Sonmiani and surrounding area as policemen have cordoned off the area,” official said.

Earlier, SSP Ghotki said that the police contingent led by the DIG has been in katcha area, as armoured carriers and modern equipment including drones being used in the police operation.

He said that two passengers recovered, have been in an injured condition. They have been kept and treated at a secured place, official said.

Earlier, eyewitnesses said that 15 to 20 bandits opened fire at a passenger coach at Mureed Branch near Guddu Interchange and taken hostage 18 passengers among over 30 onboard the vehicle.

They resorted to fire for almost half an hour, and only male passengers taken out of the bus before being beaten by the outlaws, an eyewitness said. Bandits kidnapped male passengers and those accompanied by women were not held.

Bus driver and some passengers sustained injuries in dacoits firing.

An eyewitness said that the police reached to the spot half an hour after the kidnapping incident.

Injured passengers have been transferred to Rahim Yar Khan hospital for medical attendance police said.

A heavy contingent of police and rangers reached to the crime scene and in a hot pursuit cordoned of the bandits hiding in a farmland.