Tehran: An unidentified criminal gang on Sunday took at least 30 people hostage in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Beluchistan, ISNA news agency reported.
It said the gang, firing weapons, blocked the road leading to the provincial city Chabahar and abducted the 30, mainly from a passing bus. Local police surrounded the area.
State television quoted security officials as terming the hostage-takers as "terrorists" belonging to well-known networks.
They did not name the networks, but said the hostages had been taken to Pakistan. They called on the government in Islamabad to follow the case and secure their release.
Gangs operating in the area, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan, are usually involved in drug trafficking, using kidnappings to force the release of imprisoned members.
A Belgian couple were last week abducted by a criminal band led by Ismael Shahbakhsh, who in return for their safe release demanded the release of his brother from a local prison.
The woman tourist was released but the husband remains captive.
In 2003, two Germans and an Irish citizen were abducted by bandit groups during a cycling trip near Zahedan, and were released after a month. It was unclear at that time whether a ransom was paid.
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