GHOTKI: All 20 passengers abducted by armed dacoits from a Quetta-bound bus near Ubauro in Sindh’s Ghotki district have been rescued unharmed following a joint security operation, police officials confirmed late on Tuesday.
According to the Sukkur Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Captain (retd) Faisal Abdullah Chachar, the passengers were recovered after an intensive operation involving police contingents from Ghotki, Sukkur, Khairpur and Kashmore districts, along with personnel from the Pakistan Rangers. Senior officers, including the Ghotki, Sukkur and Khairpur SSPs, also took part in the operation.
The abduction occurred late Monday night when around 25 armed dacoits intercepted a Sadabahar Company coach travelling from Sadiqabad to Quetta. The attackers reportedly opened fire near the Murid Shaikh area, close to the Punjab-Sindh border, injuring the bus driver before forcing several passengers off the vehicle and taking them towards the riverine Katcha area.
DIG Chachar said police swiftly blocked all routes leading deeper into the Katcha belt, preventing the kidnappers from escaping with the hostages. “We engaged the dacoits in a gunfight and successfully rescued all hostages without any loss of life,” he said, adding that two of the dacoits were reportedly injured during the encounter.
You May Also Like: Punjab to Raise Dedicated Riot Control Force as Assembly Panel Clears Police Law Amendments
During the operation, a police constable sustained an injury to his hand and was shifted to Rahim Yar Khan Hospital for treatment. A search operation against the suspects was still under way, a police spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, Mirpur Mathelo DSP Abdul Qadir Soomro said that 14 passengers had initially been recovered. One of them, however, later died of a heart attack in a nearby sugarcane field. His body was shifted to Ubauro Hospital, while two other rescued passengers were provided medical treatment.
Police clarified that the abduction did not take place within Rahim Yar Khan’s jurisdiction, but on a section of road passing through Guddu in Sindh.
A statement from the office of Sukkur DIG captain (retd) Faisal Abdullah Chachar today said that 10 of the kidnapped passengers had been rescued in an overnight operation under the DIG’s command. https://t.co/zsnH10ft0c
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) December 16, 2025
The Katcha area, which runs along the Indus River across parts of Sindh and Punjab, has long been notorious for organised banditry. Armed gangs operating in the region have been involved in kidnappings for ransom, highway robberies and attacks on travellers for decades.
Reacting to the incident, PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh condemned the abduction and questioned the effectiveness of law enforcement in both provinces, calling for stronger measures to secure highways and eliminate criminal networks operating in the riverine areas.
