Unidentified militants abducted and then killed 13 passengers of Punjab-bound buses in Balochistan’s Bolan district in the wee hours of Tuesday.
According to police, the incident took place in Macch town of Bolan district where armed assailants kidnapped 22 passengers from five buses going to Rajanpur from Quetta.
The kidnappers gunned down 13 abducted passengers after identifying them as Punjabis and dumped their bodies in a nearby locality. The bodies were discovered on Tuesday morning.
Nine of the abducted people were released after identification.
The militants stopped seven passenger buses in district Bolan and allowed two Sindh-bound buses to go. The assailants checked the CNICs of passengers before frisking them away.
The victims, who have been identified, hailed from Sadiqabad, Rajanpur and other towns of Punjab.
Machh Assistant Commissioner Dr Kashif said passenger buses moving out of Balochistan are usually escorted by security personnel. However, a militant attack on an oil tanker in the same area led to crossfire between militants and the Balochistan Levies and Frontier Corps (FC), which kept the forces busy.
During the combat, one FC officer lost his life while two others were injured, Dr Kashif confirmed.
“Search operations in the area are continuing,” the assistant commissioner said.