Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been hit by back-to-back abduction incidents, with three employees of a private telecom company taken in Nowshera and a school principal kidnapped in Bannu within hours.

According to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), unidentified men abducted an optical fiber engineer of CNEC along with two colleagues from Nizampur Hisar Tang area of Nowshera, taking them away with their vehicle. 

The victims were identified as engineer Kashif Israr, a resident of Karak, laborer Mubashirullah, and driver Zahidullah Khan from Par Hoti, Mardan.

A spokesperson for CNEC Netcom confirmed that the company’s employees were kidnapped at gunpoint. Meanwhile, the father of the abducted engineer, Muhammad Israr Khan, revealed that the family had received a ransom demand of Rs 5 million from an Afghan phone number. 

CTD officials stated that evidence points to the involvement of a banned outfit, and an operation is underway for the recovery of the hostages.

Just hours later, another abduction was reported in Bannu Township’s D-Block, where the principal of a private educational institution, Ashraf Khan, was allegedly kidnapped by his former students while returning home from school. Unknown individuals forced him into a vehicle and fled.

Police immediately launched a search operation, raiding suspected locations including the homes of some students. Investigative sources believe the principal may have been shifted to an underground hideout, though the motive for the kidnapping remains unclear. 

SHO Town Police Rahim Dil Khan said that 20 suspects have so far been arrested, while the Dabbak Syedkhel tribe has been given three days to ensure the recovery of the abducted principal.