Mastung: Unidentified armed men kidnapped 20 police recruits undergoing training at the Kalat Police Training Centre while they were travelling in a passenger van along the Quetta-Karachi Highway in Mastung district, officials said. Senior Balochistan government officials confirmed the abduction, noting that the recruits were heading home for the weekend when armed men intercepted their van.
According to a Quetta-datelined Dawn report, a group of armed men riding motorcycles and carrying automatic weapons intercepted the passenger van and took the recruits along with the vehicle to an undisclosed location. The armed men released the driver and three other passengers.
Police officials in Mastung confirmed that the recruits belonged to the Levies Force, which has since been merged with the police, and served in the Rakhshan division. Security forces launched a search operation in nearby mountains, but no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and the whereabouts of the recruits remain unknown.
Recent Abductions of Government Officials in the Region
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Rakhshan Division Commissioner Abducted: On Thursday (October 15), Rakhshan Division Commissioner Asad Ullah Kakar, an officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), was waylaid and abducted by unknown armed men while travelling from Quetta to Kharan in a private car along the Noshki-Kharan highway. His driver was later released.
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Kharan Deputy Commissioner Released: In an earlier incident, Kharan Deputy Commissioner Munir Ahmed Soomro was released safely on October 3 after spending two weeks in captivity. He had been abducted at gunpoint on September 20, and his release was secured following negotiations between local tribal elders and the armed men.
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Chagai District Check Post Attack: On July 21, approximately 30 armed men surrounded a temporary excise check post in Chagai district, holding officials at gunpoint and abducting three excise personnel along with two official vehicles and weapons.