Kidnapped workers and manager freed after months in captivity in Balochistan

QUETTA: Ten labourers and a manager employed by a construction company working on a World Bank-supported water channel project in Balochistan have been recovered after being held captive for nearly four and a half months, according to police statements on Tuesday.

The group was abducted on October 22, 2025, when around two dozen armed men surrounded the construction company’s camp in Mola tehsil, Khuzdar district. The assailants took the 10 labourers and the manager at gunpoint while they were engaged in work on the water channel project, which is being carried out with financial assistance from the World Bank. A banned organisation later claimed responsibility for the abduction.

Of the abducted labourers, six were from Sindh, while the remaining four were local residents. Efforts to secure their release involved coordinated actions by the local administration and police, who worked closely with tribal elders in the region.

“All 11 employees of the company recovered last night after remaining in captivity of the kidnappers for almost four-and-a-half months,” a senior police officer stated.

The recovery marks the end of a prolonged ordeal for the abducted individuals and their families. The incident had raised concerns about the security of workers involved in development projects in the province, particularly those supported by international organisations.

Authorities have not disclosed further details regarding the circumstances of the recovery or whether any arrests have been made in connection with the kidnapping. The identities of the banned group responsible have also not been elaborated upon in official statements.

The World Bank-funded water channel project in Khuzdar is among several development initiatives underway in Balochistan, a region that has seen periodic security challenges affecting both local and non-local workers.