Swiss couple abducted in Pakistan

Jul 02, 2011 |

Islamabad

A Swiss couple was abducted by unidentified armed men in the restive Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan, a senior police official has said.

"Unidentified gunmen intercepted the foreigners' vehicle...and took them at gunpoint to an unknown destination," said Ghulam Ali Lashari, the police chief of Loralai district.

The Swiss nationals were abducted yesterday in Sirki Jangle area of Loralai, over 250-km from provincial capital Quetta. Lashari identified them as Olivier David and his wife W Omer.

The couple, who were travelling in a vehicle, entered Loralai district at 5.45 pm and registered themselves at a police check post as tourists from Switzerland. They were kidnapped after they entered an area of Loralai district controlled by the Levies militia, Lashari told state-run APP news agency.

The Swiss couple came to Loralai from Dera Ghazi Khan district of Punjab province. The couple's vehicle was found abandoned near Killi Nigah in Loralai. Law enforcement personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to trace the couple.

No group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. An American national working for the UN refugee agency was kidnapped in Quetta in February 2009 and released after two months of captivity.

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