Red alert: Car wash children stumble across bomb, avert disaster

A 32-kg bomb was hid in a block of cement in front of a bank and had been planted on Tuesday.


Salman Siddiqui October 19, 2011

KARACHI:


Noman, 11, and 14-year-old Amir saved the city from a massive bomb attack when they discovered a 32-kilogramme parcel in front of Meezan Bank in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, right next to Darus Sehat Hospital.


The two boys, who wash cars for a living, found the bomb at around 11 am on Wednesday and informed the police immediately. It was concealed in a block of cement and was placed ten feet away from a community police post usually manned by at least six police constables and an assistant sub-inspector. The authorities suspect that the bomb was planted on Tuesday.

Contrary to television reports, the bomb had nothing to do with the sports car that was allegedly used by the suspects to hide the bomb.

The investigation

Criminal Investigations Agency (CIA) SSP Raja Umer Khattab said that the beautifully concealed and constructed remote-controlled bomb weighed 32 kilogrammes - out of which 13 kilogrammes was of potassium chloride, an explosive material. “This is the same type of planted bomb that was used in the Pakistan Navy bus attacks in Karsaz and Baldia [in 2011],” he said. “The profile not only matches the unexploded bomb discovered in Baldia, but another one when the Jinnah hospital was bombed a year ago.” The SSP suspects that the same group was involved.

Crime Investigation Department’s Fayyaz Khan said that there was no doubt a major terrorism incident was averted. “Had it exploded it would have wreaked havoc,” he said.

Khan added that they were looking into the possibility of whether the bank robbery that was conducted earlier in the day on Rashid Minhas Road had a connection with the bomb.

Block of cement? No it’s a bomb

According to Noman and Amir, the block of cement was right in front of the bank. “When the baray sahib of the bank arrived in his car and saw his parking space occupied, he asked the guards to push the block to the side,” said Amir. The guard pushed it in front of the red RX8,  the boys cleaned every day for Rs10.

The owner of the sports car turned out to be a fourth year medical student at the Liaquat College of Medicine and Dentistry. Saud bin Yusuf said that his car had actually hit the block of cement in the morning. Yusuf went off to class as usual and the boys started to clean the car. “Our sahib asked us to push the block away but as we did, some bits of the block came off,” said Noman. The boys claim that they started to pay attention to the block once another car arrived.

The people in the other car asked Noman and Amir to move the block so that they could park their car. Noman added that when they noticed wires sticking out they went to inform the police at the community centre immediately.

Yusuf was in utter shock when he found out about the incident. He told The Express Tribune that he had nothing to do with it. His father said that it was a miracle that nothing had happened to his son.

The ASI of the community police centre, Tariq Kamran said that the explosion was averted because of police efficiency. However, he had no answer when asked about the role of the two children.

SSP Odho said that the police would investigate how a 32-kilogramme bomb was not discovered earlier, despite being so close to the community centre.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2011.

COMMENTS (17)

Ahmed | 12 years ago | Reply

Is there any way to get in touch with these boys? Wanted to help them financially... Tribune has my email, please do let me know. Thx!

breitzer | 12 years ago | Reply Salam to kids...
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