LARKANA: A woman and her 25-year-old son were shot dead in Ghulam Mohammad Chacho village, some 30kms from here, in QambarShahdadkot district on Monday.

The bereaved family and police gave different accounts of the incident.

A spokesman for the Larkana DIG claimed that an exchange of fire between Chacho and Chandio clans left Inayat Khatoon and her son Nazeer Chacho dead.

Another person, Juman Chacho, was injured in the clash, he said, and linked the incident to an old enmity between the two sides.

However, a nephew of Inayat KhatoonMohammad Ramzan Chacho, accused her former husband, Nadir Chandio, of having carried out the attack along with some of his associates.

He said that his aunt had been married to Nadir Chandio a few years ago but she got divorced due to maltreatment meted out to her by in-laws. He claimed that Nadir, along with his friends, broke into her home on Monday and opened fire killing her and her son.

The bodies were handed over to the heirs after a postmortem examination at the Mirokhan Civil Hospital. Juman Chachar was admitted to the same hospital in a critical condition.

Meanwhile, SHO Abdul Sattar Magsi of theBarham police station has said that raids were conducted on Nadir Chandio`s home and his possible hideouts but without any success.

He said the suspect had already abandoned his residence. His alleged associates, identified by Ramzan Chacho, also seemed to have gone into hiding, the SHO said, adding that a search for all the suspects was underway.

He said the incident was being investigated from different angles.

DIG Nasir Aftab Pathan has ordered QambarShahdadkot S SP to deploy additional police force considering panic and fear in and around the village. He also called for immediate arrest of all those involved in the incident.