QUETTA – A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) first-class umpire was robbed of his vehicle by armed men while traveling from Quetta to Karachi to attend a PCB refresher course, according to reports.

The incident took place near Lakorian, between Khuzdar and Sohrab in Balochistan, where more than a dozen armed men reportedly intercepted the vehicle carrying first-class umpire Aslam Baloch and fellow PCB officials.

Reports said Aslam Baloch, along with umpires Khalid Mahmood, Hameed Khan, Muhammad Rahim and Hidayatullah, had left Quetta four days earlier to attend a PCB refresher course in Karachi.

After stopping for breakfast in Sohrab, the group was allegedly halted by two armed men standing in the middle of the road. The men reportedly checked their identity cards and vehicle documents at gunpoint. After getting out of the vehicle, the umpires noticed more than a dozen armed individuals in the surrounding area.

The attackers took Aslam Baloch’s vehicle but returned the umpires’ personal belongings. The armed men later contacted the vehicle owner by phone and initially demanded Rs2 million for the vehicle’s return. The reported demand has since been reduced to Rs800,000.

An FIR was registered at Sohrab Police Station. After the incident, the umpires contacted the PCB, which instructed them to leave the area immediately.

The officials continued to Karachi and attended the refresher course. For their return journey to Quetta, the PCB arranged air tickets for all five umpires.