Five freed, 17 mill workers missing

Some of the passengers abducted by unidentified armed men from a passenger coach and a sugar mills bus near Cheera Minor on the Indus Highway in DI Khan have been released, while 17 mill workers remain missing.

Residents staged a protest at Paroa Adda, blocking the main Indus Highway to demand the safe recovery of the missing workers.

According to reports, the incident occurred on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday within the jurisdiction of Paroa police station. Armed men intercepted a coach travelling from Dera Ghazi Khan to Rawalpindi and took several passengers away. Reports also emerged that security guards travelling in a sugar mills bus were abducted.

Sources said five passengers identified as Arsalan, Majid, Kashif, Shiraz and Hammad, who had been taken from the Hassan Coach, were subsequently released. According to the released passengers, they walked for approximately four hours to reach their destination.

However, 17 workers of the sugar mills remain missing, prompting local residents to take to the streets and block traffic on the Indus Highway in protest.

Police said an operation was under way to recover the abducted persons and that several teams had been formed for the purpose.