SHIKARPUR, April 15: Five PTCL employees, who were kidnapped near Abdal Shakh on Shikarpur-Jacobabad road on Monday night, were freed with joint efforts of the Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Balochistan police near Sindh-Balochistan border on Tuesday morning.

A team of construction division of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company was returning in government vehicles from Rojhan Jamali, Balochistan, after installing optical fibre cable there.

Some bandits intercepted a wagon (GP-8488) and hijacked it with PTCL assistant engineers Mumtaz Ansari and Faseehuddin, technician Ibrahim, wireman Zafar Qureshi and driver Sher Mohammad.

On receiving information, a heavy contingent of the Shikarpur police rushed to the place of incident and went behind the kidnappers. They were also joined by the police of Jacobabad and Jafarabad (Balochistan).

Following the trail of the hijacked vehicle and foot prints of the kidnappers, the police raided at their hideouts near Sindh-Balochistan border in Jacobabad district.

The police recovered the hostages, the wagon, an elec-

tric generator and other equipment.

They arrested four of the kidnappers, identified as Rasool Bukhsh Umrani, Abdul Wahab Mugheri, Gul Mohammad Brohi and Bhand. However, some of their accomplices managed to escape.