SUKKUR: Four persons, among them a police official and a passer-by woman, suffered gunshot wounds when they were fired upon by a gang of criminals during an operation against the criminals in Thull taluka, Jacobabad district, on Wednesday.

Police officials said that when police teams, who were engaged in a targeted operation against Jharo Banglani and Maccho Banglani gangs, reached near Alam Shah Dargah (shrine) on Begari Canal, a group of criminals suddenly attacked them with firearms.

In the ensuing shootout which continued for an hour, police constable Asif Ali Otho and a passer-by woman Hazooran Banglani sustained gunshot wounds. They were shifted to taluka hospital for treatment, said the officials.

They said the outlaws took to their heels soon after the attack and rushed into a nearby village, Allah Warayo, where they forced the villagers to provide them refuge from police.

When the villagers refused, they fired shots at them, injuring Ehsan Pahore and Fazal Pahore, who suffered gunshot wounds to their arms and legs.

The gangsters managed to escape from the village and the wounded villagers were rushed to the taluka hospital.

Jacobabad SSP Mohammad Kaleem Malik told local media persons that police had launched a targeted operation in the area to eliminate the Jharo Banglani and Machho Banglani gangs.

He vowed to continue the operation until the criminals were completely eliminated from Thull. No case had been registered at the B-Section police station till the filing of this report, said sources.