QUETTA: Unidentified gunmen abducted six locals of Balochistan's Dera Bugti district on Wednesday.

Levies sources confirmed that at least six people were kidnapped on their way to Gandoi area of Sui tehsil when they were whisked away by gunmen. The abductors also took away the two vehicles the abductees were travelling in.

Levies and FC personnel reached the spot and launched a search operation to recover the abducted men. No group has so far claimed responsibility for abduction.

In September last year, General manager of Balochistan Development Authority (BDA), Bacha Khan, along with five other officers were abducted from province's Killa Saifullah district.

Pakistan's largest province — which borders Iran and Afghanistan — is riven by sectarian strife and violence.

Its roughly seven million inhabitants have long complained they do not receive a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth.

Baloch separatists demanding more autonomy and control over gas and mineral resources have frequently targeted security forces and police for years.