QUETTA: Unidentified armed men kidnapped six coal miners from the Mach coal field in Kachhi district, officials said on Sunday.

According to police, a few armed men entered the coal field area on Saturday and kidnapped six people working at different coal mines.

The miners, working at mine no. 172, were identified as Sartaj, Jumadar, Rozi Khan, Barkat Ali, Amanullah and Jamal Khan Kakar. Their co-workers informed Mach police about the incident.

Security forces launched a search operation in the area to recover the abductees.

The police said it was too early to speculate on the motive for the kidnappings. “We are investigating the matter and a search operation has been launched in the mountainous area of Mach and surrounding areas for early recovery of the kidnapped mine workers,” a senior Mach police official said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the incident.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2022