Pakistan Cricket Board first-class umpire Aslam Baloch was robbed at gunpoint while travelling from Quetta to Karachi. He was travelling with fellow umpires to attend a Pakistan Cricket Board refresher course when armed men intercepted their vehicle and stole it, leaving the officials shaken by the incident.
The robbery took place near Lakorian, between Khuzdar and Sohrab in Balochistan. According to reports, a group of armed men stopped the vehicle carrying the PCB officials before fleeing with it. Local police have launched an investigation as authorities work to trace the suspects and recover the stolen vehicle.
Pakistan Cricket Board Umpires Intercepted During Highway Journey
First-class umpire Aslam Baloch was travelling with fellow Pakistan Cricket Board umpires Khalid Mahmood, Hameed Khan, Muhammad Rahim, and Hidayatullah. The group had left Quetta four days earlier and was heading to Karachi to attend a Pakistan Cricket Board refresher course.
During their journey through Balochistan, the officials stopped for breakfast in Sohrab. Shortly after they resumed their trip, two armed men blocked the road and forced the vehicle to stop by standing in the middle of the highway.
After stopping the vehicle, the armed men threatened the cricket officials at gunpoint. They ordered Aslam Baloch and the other passengers to hand over their identity cards and the vehicle's documents. The officials had no choice but to comply with the armed men's demands.
Dozens of Armed Men Ambush Umpires Near Lakorian
After checking the identity documents, the armed men ordered the cricket officials to get out of the vehicle. Aslam Baloch and the others noticed more than a dozen armed men waiting nearby in the Lakorian area, leaving them completely surrounded.
The attackers quickly took control of the situation and drove away with Aslam Baloch's vehicle. However, they decided not to rob the passengers of their personal belongings. Instead, they returned all of the officials' belongings before leaving the group stranded on the roadside.
Following the robbery, the attackers contacted the vehicle owner and demanded a ransom of Rs 2 million for the vehicle's return. They later negotiated the amount and reduced the demand to Rs 800,000.
Pakistan Cricket Board Arranges Air Travel After Police FIR
After the robbery, the stranded umpires contacted local police for assistance. Officers registered a First Information Report (FIR) at Sohrab Police Station regarding the hijacked vehicle. The officials also informed the Pakistan Cricket Board management about the incident.
The cricket board instructed the umpires to leave the area immediately for their safety. Aslam Baloch, Khalid Mahmood, Hameed Khan, Muhammad Rahim, and Hidayatullah safely continued their journey to Karachi and attended the scheduled refresher course.
After completing the course in Karachi, the group had to return to Quetta. To ensure their safety after the robbery, the cricket board arranged and paid for commercial flight tickets for all five affected umpires instead of asking them to travel by road again.
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