QUETTA, Dec 3: A dramatic escape of two African citizens from captivity of kidnappers was followed by a police raid on a house in Gwadar on Tuesday, which resulted in the release of three more kidnapped Africans and the arrest of their three captors.

Police said the five African nationals were kidnapped a few months ago.

Gwadar’s DPO Pervez Umrani said the recovered persons belonged to Ghana and Tanzania. He said that during their captivity the Africans were tortured.

The five kidnapped Africans were Moffat Banda, Nicolas Olland, Amiri Abdu, Saif Shaban and Kelvin. Police raided the house after two of the Africans reached a police station after escaping from captivity.

“We found the other three men handcuffed when we reached the house,” said a police official.

Police identified the arrested men as Abdul Hameed, Naveed and Mohammad Anwar. They said one of them belonged to Iranian area of Kunarak.

“The Africans might be members of an international gang of drug smugglers and could have been kidnapped as a result of a monetary dispute,” a police officer investigating the case said.