In Dera Ismail Khan, unidentified armed men hijacked a private security firm’s van carrying Rs40 million and kidnapped five security guards near Hathala village on Tank Road on Thursday. According to the police, the van was en route to Wana, South Waziristan.
The hijacking occurred when the van reached Hathala village, where gunmen intercepted it, looted the cash, set the vehicle on fire, and eventually released the guards. A case has been registered at Hathala police station, and the burnt vehicle was recovered from the Kanori area. The police are interrogating the released security guards.
This incident follows a similar event two weeks ago, where another bank van was looted in the Kulachi area.
In a separate event, the district administration sealed six marble factories on Thursday for not adhering to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines. Assistant Commissioner Headquarters Mohammad Faseeh Ishaq Abbasi led an operation against these factories, accompanied by the assistant director of the environment protection department. The team visited six marble factories, all of which were sealed due to inadequate arrangements and SOP violations.