ISLAMABAD, March 14: Seven people were shot dead in the semi-autonomous region of Orakzai on Sunday after a meeting of elders handed down death sentences against them, officials said.

"Those shot dead were members of a notorious gang, which was involved in heinous crimes, including kidnapping," Assistant Political Agent (APA) Abdul Qayyum told dpa.

Orakzai agency is located southwest of Peshawar, and is one of seven semi-autonomous agencies where the federal government's authority is limited and it can intervene through special laws.

"Local tribesmen recently captured the criminals after they kidnapped two persons from a nearby area," Abdul Qayyum said, adding that they were shot in public.

The jirga heard the case and unanimously handed down the death sentence, he added. The tribal elders are responsible for law and order in their respective areas.