KOHAT, July 23: About 15 persons, apparently armymen, on Saturday took away two policemen who had arrested an army soldier a few days ago reportedly for carrying unathorised ammunition, from Khadezai police checkpost on Hangu Road, official sources said.

Officials quoting District Police Officer Mubarik Zeb said that he was contacting the relevant persons in army, present in the area, to ascertain details of the case and resolve the matter.

However, about five hours after the incident the DPO confirmed that the two policemen had been released at an abandoned place near Ustarzai.

Earlier, when contacted, the Cantt police said that they only knew that two vehicles came to the checkpost on Hangu Road and took away havaldar Wajid and constable Diljan to an unknown place.

They said that they could not identify the vehicles' registration numbers because the policemen were picked up from a far-flung place in their jurisdiction. “The victims were taken towards Hangu,” the officials said.

They said that local authorities of the army should have first contacted the district police officer through proper channels if they had to arrest the policemen on certain charges.

“At this stage we could not say anything about the case. The SHO Cantt police, who is on the spot collecting eyewitness account, and other senior officers are investigating the matter so that a case can be registered after findings,” an official said.

The sources said that the police was in fact under pressure and could not take proper action against the people involved in kidnapping of policemen.

The police media cell, meanwhile, said that some 20-22 armed men wearing army uniforms attacked the checkpost and took away two policemen.

“The attackers could be real or fake army men. If they were army men they should have talked to the police officials before taking the policemen with them,” it said.

The investigations conducted by this correspondent revealed that on July 20 the two policemen had arrested a passenger -- Mohammad Akram, a resident of Sialkot -- and seized from his possession 75 bullets of Kalashnikov. He was coming from Parachinar, said the sources.

Mr Akram later told a police investigating team that he was a sepoy in army. Sources in the police said that the army took him away from the courts after he was granted bail in the case and while returning to their camp they also picked up the two policemen.

A police official commented that the arrested sepoy did not tell the police team while he was being taken to police station that he was an armyman.