Five bodies bound to pylon found in Chaghi

QUETTA:

In a chilling discovery, five bullet-riddled bodies were found bound to an electricity pylon in the Chaghi town of Balochistan, close to the border with Afghanistan and Iran, on Friday, police and officials said.

Police recovered the bodies, who appeared to be killed in brutal execution. The bodies were transported to the district headquarters hospital in Chaghi, where they now awaited identification, they added.

According to Levies sources, the victims were suspected to be former Afghan military personnel, who were abducted by a militant group notorious for its activities in the area. The group, which had long been a source of tension between Iran and its neighbours, was believed to be behind the killing.

The bodies were discovered early morning near a college close to the borders with Afghanistan and Iran in Balochistan. "Five bullet-riddled bodies were found hanging from an electric pylon," Attiq Shahwani, a senior government official in the area, told AFP.

"They have been shifted to a local hospital. Doctors have ascertained that the cause of death is multiple bullet wounds, mostly in the chest area," Shahwani added. The officials also said the men were likely killed on Thursday. No missing persons reports were registered and the men had not yet been identified.

In a separate incident, another body was discovered in the Shaban area of Quetta. Police sources confirmed that the body was transported to the Civil Hospital in Quetta for medico-legal formalities.

Authorities have yet to determine whether there was any connection between the two grisly incidents. There were also unconfirmed reports about the recovery of three more bodies. However, the officials had yet to confirm those reports.

The discovery of these bodies sent shockwaves through the area, particularly the areas close to the Afghan border. Local authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, while efforts were under way to identify the victims and ascertain the motives behind the killings.

(WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM AFP)