Pak court orders death sentence to 20 gangsters for killing 6 policemen

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Tuesday awarded death sentence to 20 gangsters for killing six policemen in the country's Punjab province. The court also imposed a fine of PKR 6.2 million on each of the convicts.

The Multan court awarded the death sentence to the notorious Chotu gang members of Rajanpur Kutcha area, some 400 km from Lahore, for killings six policemen and injuring several others in 2016. The convicts included its ring leader Ghulam Rasool alias Chotu who had become a "symbol of terror" in the district and adjoining areas. Two minor convicts -- Qasim and Abdul Samad -- were awarded life imprisonment.

On April 13, 2016, a police team conducted an operation against the Chotu gang in a forest area. The teams, however, came under attack from the criminals, in which six policemen were killed and eight were injured. Twenty-four other policemen were taken hostage by the gangsters following which the Pakistan army was called in rescue the hostages. Army helicopters and over 2,000 army personnel were involved in the operation to free the 24 hostages and arrest the gangsters.

The Chotu gang used to kidnap wealthy people of south Punjab for ransom.

(With inputs from agencies.)