Unknown gunmen abducted 20 police trainees in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Saturday after stopping their bus near Mastung. The attackers released the driver and three civilians travelling on board, while security forces launched a search operation to locate the missing officers.
Peshawar: Police said 20 trainee officers from a police academy were abducted by unidentified gunmen in Balochistan on Saturday. The officers were undergoing training at a police training centre in Kalat district and were travelling home for the weekend break when the incident took place.
Security forces have launched an extensive operation to trace the abducted personnel. No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.
The abduction comes amid ongoing intelligence-led operations by Pakistani security forces against banned separatist groups and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Balochistan.
According to a senior police officer, the trainees were travelling home when armed men on motorcycles intercepted their bus on the Quetta–Karachi Highway near Mastung. The gunmen stopped the vehicle and forced the driver to follow a route of their choosing.
The attackers later released the driver and three civilian passengers but took the 20 trainee officers with them. Security forces are continuing efforts to locate the abducted personnel.
