QUETTA: The bullet-riddled bodies of five unidentified individuals, aged between 22 and 27, were found hanging from electric poles in Dalbandin town of Chagai district on Friday.

Officials said residents alerted the district administration to the presence of the bodies near Govt Boys Degree College, some three kilometres from the Dalbandin police station. Upon receiving the information, police and senior district officials rushed to the site and removed the bodies, which were then shifted to Prince Fahad Bin Sultan Hospital in Dalbandin.

“All the victims had multiple bullet wounds on their chests and other parts of their bodies and were found hanging from three electric poles,” said Abdul Hakeem Mengal, an officer at the Dalbandin police station.

The bodies seemed to have been hanging for several hours, he said, adding that there was no evidence to suggest the victims were killed at the site where the bodies were found. “It seems they were killed elsewhere and their bodies were hanged near the college later,” he said.

No identification documents, including identity cards, were found on the bodies. “There have been no recent reports of missing persons filed with the Levies or police,” a senior official of district administration told Dawn, adding that an investigation was underway.

No individual or group claimed responsibility for the killings.

“All five victims appear to be non-local and are likely Afghan nationals,” a senior police officer in Chagai district said.

However, he said no one had come forward to identify the bodies or provide information to the authorities.

A video circulating on social media purportedly shows the men making confessional statements about the recent killing of Jaishul Adl leader Murad Notezai, alias Tariq. In the video, four of the men are heard speaking in Pashto, while one speaks Balochi.

This is not unusual, as a sizeable number of Afghans living in the Nimroz province, which borders Chagai, can speak both Balochi and Brahvi.

Jaishul Adl is a militant organisation formed by members of Jundallah, which was weakened after Iran captured and executed their leader Abdolmalek Rigi. Banned by the Iranian government, Jaishul Adl operates mainly in the Sistan-Baluchestan region and has previously claimed responsibility for several terror attacks on both sides of the border.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2024