MEERUT, May 24 -- In a broad daylight incident, a group of six men returning from Saudi Arabia were abducted by armed criminals posing as policemen, on the Delhi-Lucknow Highway near the Purana Tola toll plaza in Moradabad district on Friday, informed police officials on Saturday.

The officials informed that acting on specific intelligence that the victims were smuggling gold concealed in their stomachs, the accused executed the abduction. The incident set off a police pursuit and a subsequent shootout, which ultimately resulted in the safe rescue of the victims.

The victims - Naved, Shane Alam, Mutallavi, Zahid, and Zulfekar - all residents of Tanda in Rampur district, were travelling from Delhi Airport to their hometown. Zulfekar, who...