QUETTA: Unknown armed men on Thursday abducted nine labourers and seized the pickup vehicle they were travelling in at gunpoint in the Dasht area of Mastung district, Levies officials said.

The labourers had been working on an under-construction official building and were heading back to their homes late in the evening when armed individuals stopped their vehicle on Splinge Road, officials said.

According to SHO Akhtar Shah, the kidnappers released the driver a few kilometres away but took the labourers along with the pickup.

SHO Shah noted that among the abducted, four were local residents while five hailed from Sindh.

Authorities have registered an FIR against the unknown kidnappers. The SHO mentioned that officials have yet to receive a formal report from the contractor involved in the construction project. Security forces have initiated a search operation in the area after the incident.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2025