Punjab Police on Friday observed the first anniversary of the Kacha Machka tragedy, where 12 personnel were killed in a late-night ambush by dacoits in Rajanpur district.
Inspector General Police (IGP) Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar paid tribute to the fallen officers, vowing that their sacrifice would not go in vain and that operations against gangs in the Kacha belt would continue until the region was secured.
On August 22 last year, heavily armed bandits attacked under cover of darkness, killing Head Constable Nazir Abbas, Langari Muhammad Munir, and ten constables, including Muhammad Imran, Rashid Mahmood, Muhammad Sajid, Zahid Hussain, Anas Sattar, Abdullah bin Mazhar, Muhammad Ahmad, and Raja Kanwal.
Located along the Indus River, the Kacha region has long been a hideout for gangs engaged in kidnapping, extortion, robbery and murder. Operations are complicated by the terrain and the gangs’ use of rockets and machine guns.
Following the ambush, the Punjab government placed head money on wanted outlaws, including Shahid Lund, who was later killed in an intelligence-based operation. Over the past year, police, supported by Rangers, have cleared more than 60,000 acres, recovered over 50 hostages, and killed or arrested several gang leaders, including Badla Manglani, Qasim Chachar and Mir Hassan alias Bega Chandia.
