CTD registers Quaidabad bomb blast case

Officials suspect terrorists planned to detonate a bigger bomb after the first blast

KARACHI: The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Sindh police registered the Quaidabad bomb blast case, which took place on Friday night, as an act of terrorism at the Shah Latif Town Police Station on behalf of SHO Ghanoor Khan. Sections of murder, attempted murder and the Explosive Act have also been included.

The blast occurred outside the Malir deputy commissioner's (DC) office in Quaidabad. The bomb was planted beneath a push cart. Shah Latif Town SHO Ghanoor Khan said that he was informed about the incident by the picket in-charge at 10:35pm on Friday. The injured were shifted to the hospital and the people who gathered at the site were dispersed and a bomb disposal squad (BDS) was summoned immediately.

The blast killed two, 18-year-old Muhammad Ramzan alias Pappu and 35-year-old Shahid. Those injured include Arsalan, Allah Ditta, Muhammad Rashid, Muhammad Abbas, Muhammad Siddique, Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Shoaib, Munir, Haq Nawaz, Mushtaq and Sarfaraz.



Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali said that two bodies and 11 injured were brought to the Jinnah hospital. She added that efforts were underway to save the lives of two who were in critical condition.

A contingent of police and Rangers sealed the area from all four sides Saturday morning and the BDS again inspected the site. They spotted a bucket just a few steps away from the place of the incident and upon examination found that it contained a live bomb. The bomb was defused.

The SHO said that the bomb disposal squad's report revealed that the bucket carrying explosives also contained nut bolts and nails weighing two kilogrammes. The squad spotted a suspicious tiffin carrier from a plastic bag. Signs showed that it was a bomb.

The SHO said in the FIR that unidentified suspects had carried out the blast to spread terror in the area. Karachi Police Chief Dr Ameer Sheikh who also reached the scene said that the bomb disposable squad was gathering evidence and the situation could only be ascertained after the report.

The area is occupied by push carts and used by vendors to sell their goods, including clothes. After the explosion, some of these clothes could be seen hanging on cable wires several meters above the ground.

Wahid, brother of Ramzan, who was present at the time of the blast, shared with The Express Tribune that the blast broke the windows of the surrounding buildings and caused the passing cars to collide with each other. Wahid and Ramzan hail from Jhang.

The tiffin carrier found at the blast site contained a live two kg bomb that was connected to a time device. The bomb was taken to a ground near the Quaidabad police station where it was defused by the BDS. CTD officials suspected that the terrorists had planned the first bomb blast with the intention of carrying out another bigger blast once people had gathered around the site. This would have resulted in killing more people.

 



Post-mortem

The post mortem of the bodies Quaidabad bomb blast was carried out on the night between Friday and Saturday. The post mortem took more than two hours.

The medico-legal officer, Dr Aijaz, who conducted the post mortem, told The Express Tribune that one body was badly charred with the face, hair and skin of the body having been burnt. The legs were severely affected and there were many fractures. Small splinters and other parts and particles used in the bomb were found in the body. The hands too were severely affected. Dr Aijaz said that the burnt body implies that the person was very close to the blast.

Regarding the second body, Dr Aijaz said that particles of the bomb were not found on the body but some sharp object had entered the body towards the left side near the heart. This had damaged the heart due to which his death occurred. He added that signs of friction were evident on the face which indicates that the person ran while there was a ruckus and fell in the process.

Both the bodies were handed over to the heirs after the post mortem.

The body of the deceased, Muhammad Ramzan, was taken by his family to Punjab for burial. Ramzan was the youngest among his nine siblings. The heirs of Shahid, who was also killed in the blast, took his body to the Edhi morgue in Korangi No 5.

Falak Sher, a relative of Ramzan informed The Express Tribune that the deceased belonged to Faisalabad, Jhang but was residing in Karachi for the past three years for employment purposes. He used to live in a rented house in Quaidabad and worked on a push cart in the same area for which he received Rs300 to Rs400 per day. He also said that he had three brothers and six sisters and was the youngest of all due to which he was most loved in his home.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2018.