BOLAN: Armed robbers opened indiscriminate fire on a passenger coach along the National Highway near Balanadri on Sunday, killing the driver and critically injuring a passenger, police confirmed.
According to police sources, the coach was en route from Sadiqabad to Quetta when armed men attempted to flag it down near Balanadri. When the driver refused to stop, the assailants unleashed a volley of bullets on the vehicle, striking the driver and a passenger inside.
The driver succumbed to his injuries on the spot, while the wounded passenger was rushed alongside the body to the Teaching Hospital Sibi for medical treatment. The injured individual is said to be in serious condition, hospital sources reported.
Following the attack, police and security forces swiftly cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down the fleeing suspects. “Raids are being conducted in the surrounding hills and settlements, and all exit routes are being monitored,” a senior police official said.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, though highway robberies with extreme violence have been a recurring challenge in the region. Authorities have assured that the perpetrators will be apprehended soon.
Traffic on the National Highway was briefly disrupted but has since been restored, with additional contingents deployed to secure the route for passenger vehicles.
