Seven suspects were taken into custody by security forces in the Balochistan province of Pakistan on Sunday as they searched for six football players who had been kidnapped.
The six football players were on their way to Sibi to compete in the qualifying round of the All Pakistan Chief Minister Gold Cup when they were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in the Kachhi canal area of Sui Tehsil in Dera Bugti district of Balochistan.
When they were taken hostage by armed men in the Jani Pedi region of Sui Tehsil, they were travelling with other members of the Dera Bugti district football team.
The Pakistan media quoted officials as saying that about 24 players were en route to Sibi when a gang of armed guys stopped their car and forcibly removed them. According to accounts, the abductors later released 18 players but detained 6, all of them were from the Dera Bugti and Sui regions.
After taking serious notice of the kidnapping, Pakistan’s interim interior minister Sarfraz Bugti and retired captain and home minister Zubair Ahmed Jamali of Balochistan instructed concerned officials to initiate a search operation in order to immediately locate the kidnapped football players.
According to officials, a thorough search operation was underway in the area, and security personnel had sealed it off and detained seven individuals for questioning.
“Security forces are conducting searches in the areas along the Sindh and Punjab borders,” officials told the media, adding that all possible efforts were being made for the recovery of the abducted players.
Bugti gave the assurance that the missing players would be found quickly and that all security organisations had received orders to secure their safe return using all available means.
“Those involved in the kidnapping of innocent football players will face the full consequences of their terrorist actions,” he said.
