Armed men snatch 10 prisoners from police in Mangochar, kidnap 5 cops

QUETTA: Armed men snatched 10 prisoners from police and abducted five policemen, including an officer, after stopping a private vehicle on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway near Mangochar in Kalat district on Saturday.

According to officials, the police were transporting 10 prisoners from Gadani Jail to the Quetta and Mach central jails in a private vehicle. When the vehicle reached Mangochar late in the evening, the armed men, who had blocked the highway and were inspecting passing vehicles, stopped the wagon. They took away the prisoners and kidnapped five police officers with their official weapons, leaving two officers in plainclothes were left unharmed. The driver was also allowed to go with his vehicle.

The prisoners included a man sentenced to death for the murder of his wife, another given a life sentence for the same crime, and others involved in drug smuggling. The prisoners were being transported to Quetta for a court hearing scheduled for May 5.

Authorities have initiated a search operation in the hilly areas of Mangochar and nearby regions to locate the abducted policemen and prisoners. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the incident so far.