By GlobalDeskNews Staff | Mastung, Balochistan | October 17, 2026
Quick Answer: Gunmen abducted 20 under-training police recruits in Balochistan's Mastung district on Friday evening as they travelled home for the weekend from the Kalat Police Training Centre. The attackers stopped their van, released the driver and three passengers, and took the recruits to an undisclosed location. A search operation is underway; no group has claimed responsibility.
Unidentified armed men kidnapped 20 police recruits undergoing training at the Kalat Police Training Centre while they were travelling in a passenger van in Balochistan's Mastung district on Friday evening, officials confirmed on Saturday. The recruits, all former Levies Force personnel now serving with the police, were heading home for the weekend when gunmen intercepted their vehicle.
A senior Balochistan government official confirmed the abduction to Dawn on condition of anonymity: "Yes, 20 police personnel who were going home for the weekend were taken away by armed men while they were travelling in a passenger van on the Quetta-Karachi Highway in Mastung."
How the Mastung abduction unfolded
According to Dawn, a group of armed men riding motorcycles and carrying automatic weapons stopped the van and took the recruits away along with the vehicle to an undisclosed location. The gunmen, however, released the driver and three other passengers travelling in the van.
Arab News Pakistan, which first reported the incident on Saturday, quoted a provincial official as saying: "At least 20 police constables were traveling in a passenger van when a group of armed men intercepted their vehicle in Gorgina, a remote and desolated mountainous area of the district, and kidnapped the returning policemen." The official spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Reports differ slightly on the exact interception point. Dawn described the van as travelling along the Quetta-Karachi Highway in Mastung district, while Arab News placed the interception in the mountainous Gorgina area of the district, and the Daily Pakistan said the van was stopped along the Sarband route between Kalat and Nushki before being taken into Mastung. All outlets agree the abduction happened in Mastung district on Friday.
Who the abducted recruits are
Police officials in Mastung confirmed to Dawn that the abducted personnel belonged to the Levies Force, which has since been merged with the police. Government officials said the personnel belonged to Balochistan's Rakhshan division.
Arab News reported that the kidnapped constables belonged to the Nushki, Kharan, Chaghi and Washuk districts of Balochistan — the districts that make up the Rakhshan Division. The recruits had been granted leave from the Kalat training centre and were returning to their home districts for the weekend when they were seized.
Search operation launched, no claim of responsibility
Security forces have launched a search operation in the nearby mountains to trace the abducted recruits, Dawn reported. However, no information about their whereabouts had emerged as of Saturday evening. The Daily Pakistan said efforts to recover the missing personnel had been launched but their whereabouts remain unknown.
No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction. Arab News noted that separatist Baloch militants such as the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) have claimed attacks against law enforcers in the province in the recent past, but did not attribute this kidnapping to any group. The identity and motives of the abductors remain unknown.
Part of a worrying pattern of abductions
The Mastung kidnapping follows a string of abductions of officials in Balochistan. A day earlier, Rakhshan Division Commissioner Asad Ullah Kakar was abducted in Kharan district, Dawn reported. Kharan Deputy Commissioner Munir Ahmed Soomro was freed on October 3 after nearly two weeks in captivity, following negotiations between tribal elders and his captors. On July 21, three excise officials were kidnapped after an attack on a checkpost in Chagai district.
Why it matters
The abduction of 20 uniformed trainees in a single strike is one of the largest kidnappings of security personnel in Balochistan in recent years, and it underlines how vulnerable even official movement has become on the province's highways. It comes as Pakistan has seen a surge in militant attacks in recent months in both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the two provinces bordering Afghanistan.
What happens next
The immediate focus is the search operation in the mountains around Mastung. Past abductions in the region — including that of Deputy Commissioner Soomro — were resolved through negotiations involving tribal elders, and a similar channel may open here if the captors make contact. Whether any group claims responsibility in the coming days will shape the state's response.
Key Takeaways
- 20 under-training police recruits were abducted in Mastung district, Balochistan, on Friday evening, October 16, 2026.
- The recruits — former Levies Force personnel from the Rakhshan Division — were travelling home for the weekend from the Kalat Police Training Centre.
- Gunmen on motorcycles stopped their passenger van, released the driver and three passengers, and took the 20 recruits to an undisclosed location.
- Security forces have launched a search operation in the nearby mountains; no information on the recruits' whereabouts has emerged.
- No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.
FAQs
How many police personnel were abducted in Mastung?
Twenty under-training police recruits were abducted, according to officials who spoke to Dawn and Arab News Pakistan. The figure of 20 has been confirmed by multiple outlets citing provincial government and police officials.
When and where did the Mastung abduction take place?
The abduction took place on Friday evening, October 16, 2026, in Mastung district of Balochistan. Dawn described the van as travelling along the Quetta-Karachi Highway, while Arab News placed the interception in the mountainous Gorgina area of the district.
Who were the abducted recruits?
They were former Levies Force personnel, now serving with the police after the force's merger, undergoing training at the Kalat Police Training Centre. Officials said they belonged to the Rakhshan Division — the Nushki, Kharan, Chaghi and Washuk districts — and were heading home for weekend leave.
What happened to the driver and other passengers?
The gunmen released the driver and three other civilian passengers travelling in the van, taking only the 20 police trainees with them to an undisclosed location, according to Dawn.
Has any group claimed responsibility for the Mastung kidnapping?
No. As of Saturday evening, no group had claimed responsibility, and the identity and motives of the abductors remain unknown, Dawn and Arab News both reported.
Is there a search operation underway?
Yes. Security forces launched a search operation in the nearby mountains to trace the abducted recruits, and checkpoints were set up in and around Mastung. No information about their whereabouts had emerged as of the latest reports on Saturday.
Is this part of a larger pattern in Balochistan?
Yes. A day earlier, Rakhshan Division Commissioner Asad Ullah Kakar was abducted in Kharan district. Deputy Commissioner Munir Ahmed Soomro was freed on October 3 after two weeks in captivity, and three excise officials were kidnapped in Chagai on July 21. UrduPoint, citing Independent Urdu, described the Mastung case as the fourth such abduction of government personnel in the region in two months.
Sources
- Dawn — "Armed men abduct 20 under-training police personnel in Mastung: officials"
- Arab News Pakistan — "Gunmen kidnap 20 police constables in militancy-hit southwestern Pakistan — official"
- Daily Pakistan — "20 Police Trainees kidnapped while traveling home on leave in Balochistan"
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