LAHORE: Following 30 frequent terrorist attacks by members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on police check posts in DG Khan, the Ladi gang also intensified its criminal activities by targeting the business community and others for ransom.

The situation has posed a critical challenge to the law-enforcement agencies (LEAs), struggling hard to eliminate hardened criminals, mainly of notorious Ladi gangsters.

An official privy to the information said some eight members of the Ladi gang recently carried out an armed attack on the employees of DG Khan Cement Factory.

They were equipped with automatic weapons when they intercepted the convoy of the factory on July 21.

According to reports, the criminals intended to kidnap some officers who were travelling on a bus. The intelligence agencies and the police had already issued specific threat alerts about the possible attack of the Ladi gang.

The guards at the security vehicle of the factory took positions from a distance while the bus carrying employees was parked alongside a road to avoid any mishap.

However, the gangster managed to approach a car which was carrying some admin officers of the factory.

As the armed men fired shots on the car, the security guards retaliated and thwarted the onslaught.

The police and officials of the other law enforcement agencies reached the site within 10 minutes when they were alerted about the incident.

Meanwhile, DG Khan DPO Ali Syed also reached there and directed the police to lodge a case against the unknown members of the Ladi gang besides initiating a search.

There were some conflicting reports regarding jurisdiction of the crime occurrence as some police officials claimed it took place in an area managed by the Border Military Police (BMP).

The employees reportedly told the police high-ups that all the gangster were carrying SMGs except one of them who was holding a rifle with a telescope.

All of them seemed to be aged between 20 and 25 years of age, they said adding that one of the attackers was later identified as Rehmat Chakrani and another Muavia.

It was the same group against whom an FIR was lodged on April 19, 2025 for carrying out criminal activity.

Similarly, they had subsequently burnt a wheel loader on April 25 and despite a lapse of more than three months, no arrest has been made so far.

As per reports, the [Ladi] gangsters intensified crimi-nal activities when the Ustrana group of the TTP carried out some 30 frequent attacks on the Jhangi and Lakhani police check posts in the first six months of 2025.

In the armed clash with the DG Khan police, some 19 militants were killed during that period.

The sources said the terrorists used to take shelters in the hideouts in the mountains of Koh-e-Sulaiman which had stretched to 400 kilometer from DG Khan (Punjab) to DI Khan (KP). A senior police officer, who had headed the DG Khan, said the local criminals backed by the elders of various tribes wanted a share in the jobs in the local private business establishments including the cement manufacturing factories.

He said the factories had initially accommodated them but then the relations between the two sides got strained when the tribesmen began blackmailing to increase the percentage in jobs.

In order to get their demands implemented, the gangsters launched armed attacks on the convoys of the local factories and other business establishments.

Consequently, the incidence of kidnap for ransom, extortion, robbery and frequent armed attacks on business installations by gangsters in settled and tribal areas of the Dera Ghazi Khan increased manifold, creating a sense of insecurity in the business community.

They were being allegedly supported by some senior politicians and tribal elders.

DPO Ali Syed clarified that some parts of the DG Khan were under the administrative control of the BMP.

He said most criminal activities of the Ladi and other gangs were carried out/reported in the areas managed by the BMP. Even then, the district police initiated actions against the hardened criminals, eliminated most of them and efforts were under way to maintain peace in the district.

To a question, the DPO said TTP had carried out a first Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attack in DG Khan to target the police personnel this year.

He said an armoured personnel carrier (APC) was blasted in the attack but the policemen remain unhurt.

During search and sweep operations, he claimed that the DG Khan police have eliminated 19 terrorists so far.

In line with the government desire to enhance business activities in Pakistan to create more job opportunities, DGKC intends to further expand its production capacity by installing another cement plant.

According to DGKC, representative government must ensure proper security for the employees and visiting foreign engineers. Asif Chaudhry