PESHAWAR, July 8: Three Chinese men were killed and another was injured when gunmen opened fire on them on the Charsadda Road on Sunday. The victims ran their business in the area.

A wounded man, identified as Cheng Jo, was taken to the Lady Reading Hospital where his condition was stated to be stable.

“It is too early to draw a conclusion from the incident, but the killings appear to be a reaction to the Lal Masjid incident in Islamabad,” Peshawar City Police Chief Abdul Majeed Marwat told Dawn on Sunday night.

He said the bearded attackers had come in three vehicles.

Initial reports said that the deceased had no enmity with anyone in the area which suggested that the incident might be the work of an extremist group, Mr Marwat said.

“We are investigating the case from different angles and have kept all options open,” he added.

Local people said they heard gunshots at about 9.15pm from a compound in a slaughter house. When they went there they saw the four Chinese in a pool of blood.

The Chinese were engaged in the business of turtles and exported hides to China and other countries.