According to War Monitor, armed men stopped two vehicles on the Indus Highway in Dera Ismail Khan overnight and took away at least 25 people. One vehicle was carrying employees of Chashma Sugar Mills; the other was a passenger vehicle travelling from Taunsa to Rawalpindi.
Two vehicles, 25 taken
Initial reports say 17 sugar mill employees were seized from the first vehicle and eight passengers from the second.
Partial releases
Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police sources said 11 civilians were freed in a first phase and have returned home. Reports later emerged that another 12 had been released, but their return home has not been confirmed.
Police sources say five people, including Punjab Police Special Branch official Alamdar Turabi, are still held. War Monitor itself notes that the release and custody figures do not add up to the initial total of 25, so the exact number still held is unclear. Police and the army have launched a joint operation to recover the remaining captives.
Solar panel trucks looted the same night
In a separate report, War Monitor says unidentified gunmen seized two trucks loaded with solar panels near Nai Wela Adda on the Indus Highway the same night, within the limits of Proa police station. Details about the drivers, the value of the cargo and the vehicles' whereabouts are not yet known.
Background
The Indus Highway around Dera Ismail Khan has seen repeated reports of passenger abductions, including an incident in the Ramak area earlier this week. The latest incidents have not been officially or independently confirmed.