Seven police officers, who were abducted from the Rocha police checkpost in Bannu yesterday, have been successfully freed.

According to Bannu DPO Ziauddin Ahmad, the officers were released after local elders facilitated negotiations with the kidnappers. The DPO said: "A jirga (tribal council) was formed by the local elders to ensure the safe return of the abducted personnel."

After discussions between the kidnappers and the jirga, the officers were set free without any harm.

The abduction took place on the previous day, triggering a swift response from the local community and authorities to ensure the safety of the police personnel.

Earlier, it was reported that the armed men attacked the Utmanzai Rocha police checkpost in a remote mountainous area of Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, abducting seven police officers along with their weapons.

According to police officials, the attack occurred on Monday evening, with the assailants overpowering the officers on duty and shifting them to an undisclosed location.

The attackers made off with all kinds of big and small arms and ammunition and supplies they found there.

Sources said that the armed group beseiged the Rocha checkpost in the hilly area of sub-division Wazir on Monday evening.

The kidnapped personnel include Salim Khan, Aqeelur Rehman, Abdul Malik, Mewa Khan, Roshaan, Naimatullah, and Shaal Muhammad.

However, four policemen deputed to the checkpost remained safe as they were not present at the time of the attack. Sources said there were around 30 to 40 armed men who attacked the post.

Following the incident, the police have cordoned off the area and initiated a large-scale search operation to recover the hostages and apprehend the attackers.

Authorities had believed that the remote location of the check post posed significant challenges in preventing such an assault.