JIT formed to investigate Data Darbar blast

Four suspects also held in Lahore raid

LAHORE: The Punjab government constituted on Friday a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe into the recent suicide attack near Data Darbar, Lahore.

The JIT, headed by a CTD Lahore SP also includes one official each from ISI, IB and MI. An investigation officer from CTD is also in the team.



At least 12 people, including police officials, were martyred in the bombing outside the sufi shrine on Wednesday.

The blast occurred at around 8:45am and targeted a vehicle of the police's Elite Force parked near one of the shrine's gates.

Earlier in the day, at least four suspects believed to be involved in the bombing were arrested by security agencies in Lahore.

The suspects were picked up late on Thursday night as security forces conducted a raid in Lahore's Garhi Shahu area after tracing the bomber to the locality.

Officials said one of the arrested suspects was the rickshaw driver who transported the suicide bomber to Data Darbar.

They said investigators had pieced together CCTV footage from across the city to determine the movement of the attacker.

The officials said the raid conducted on Thursday night focused on a tea stall which opened in the Garhi Shahu area a little over three months ago.

The tea stall came to investigators' attention after the bomber was seen there in one of the CCTV clips. Another part of the collected video footage shows the suspect getting into a rickshaw that takes him to Data Darbar via the railway station.

Officials said they were also on the lookout for two young men who can be seen in the CCTV footage walking near the bomber outside Data Darbar, all the while speaking on their mobile phones.