At least 20 police personnel have been abducted by unidentified armed men in Pakistan’s Balochistan province while travelling between Kalat and Nushki districts, according to a BBC Urdu report. In a separate incident, an abandoned police checkpost was demolished in Killa Abdullah district.
According to government officials, the abducted personnel were travelling from Kalat to Nushki when armed men intercepted them along the way.
A senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the personnel belonged to four districts of the Rakhshan Division — Washuk, Chagai, Kharan and Nushki. They were undergoing training at the Kalat Police Training Centre.
The official said the personnel were travelling in a private van while on leave and had taken the Sarband route, a shorter road connecting the two districts.
The armed men reportedly abducted the personnel in Kalat district before moving them into the jurisdiction of Mastung district and subsequently taking them to an undisclosed location.
The attackers later released the van’s driver and two to three other passengers but took the police personnel with them, the official said.
Authorities have launched efforts to recover the abducted personnel. No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.
Recent Abductions of Government Officials
The latest incident comes amid a series of abductions targeting government officials in Balochistan.
Last Thursday, unidentified armed men reportedly abducted Kalat Division Commissioner Asadullah Kakar and his driver while they were travelling from Quetta to Kharan. Their whereabouts remained unknown at the time of the report.
Earlier, Kharan Deputy Commissioner and an additional sessions judge in Panjgur were also abducted in separate incidents. Both were subsequently released.
Police Checkpost Demolished in Killa Abdullah
In a separate incident, unidentified armed men demolished an unoccupied police checkpost in the Pankai area of Killa Abdullah district.
A police official in Quetta said police and security forces launched an operation after receiving information about the incident. The armed men reportedly fled towards Panjpai.
Authorities have not announced further details regarding the operation or the identities of those involved.
