Two female college students were critically injured after unknown car riders opened indiscriminate fire on their bus in the Punjab province of Pakistan, police said on Tuesday, while not ruling out the role of an “estranged lover” in the incident.

According to an FIR, over 20 female students of the Punjab College in Pattoki district were going to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on an excursion trip on Monday. The Pattoki district is around 80 km from Lahore, the provincial capital. “As the girls’ bus entered Lahore (from Pattoki) en route to (Pakistan-occupied) Kashmir, it was chased by a car. The car riders opened indiscriminate fire on the bus, leaving two female students injured. The other girls, however, remained safe,” the FIR said. Those injured were shifted to the Lahore General Hospital, where the condition of both girls was stated to be critical. A case has been registered against unidentified car riders for attempted murder, police officer Shrafat Ali told PTI. Police recorded the statements of the eyewitnesses, the bus driver and the students. Ali said the car riders came close to the bus and opened fire, which hit the two girls who were sitting in the back seats.

Apparently, an “estranged lover” was behind the incident, according to Ali. “However, we are investigating the matter from all aspects and will soon arrest the culprits,” he added.

Meanwhile, Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ordered the Punjab police chief to ensure the arrest of the culprits at the earliest.

He also directed the health authorities to provide the best health facilities to those injured.