QUETTA: Around 22 bus passengers, travelling from Karachi to Gwadar, were abducted and looted in Pasni tehsil of Balochistan's Gwadar district on Wednesday.

The passengers were held hostage and released after Frontier corps and intelligence agencies exerted pressure on the captors.

Commissioner Makran Division Bashir Bangulzai told DawnNews, "The passengers were trying to enter Iran illegally."

He said the passengers ─ who were from various parts of Pakistan ─ were illegal immigrants travelling from Karachi to Gwadar via Pasni.

When security agencies came to know the passengers had been abducted, they launched an operation against the captors, subsequently mounting pressure on them to release the passengers.

Bangulzai confirmed the abductors freed the passengers after looting them.

"An operation has also been launched to apprehend human smugglers," Bangulzai said.

Militants have kidnapped labourers and passengers in the area in the past. Pasni is considered to be one of the sensitive areas of Balochistan.