Bomb attacks: Police suspect two groups involved in city blasts

Two FIRs registered and suspects sketches released.


Faraz Khan July 24, 2012

KARACHI:


The police on Tuesday released the sketches of two persons whom they believe as prime suspect in the blast outside the Chinese consulate here on Monday. Two different FIRs were also registered against unidentified persons at the Boat Basin police station.


In the meantime, the police investigators are working on all possible clues to take the investigations into a definite direction to reach the master mind of the blast.

They have already arrested the owner and dealer of the motorcycle used in the blast and are now looking for the prime suspect with the help of its intelligence network and NADRA.

Sources in the police department told The Express Tribune that the initial probe has led the investigators to believe that there are some similarities in Chinese Consulate blast and other recent bomb attacks targeting the Rangers and the SUPRCO bus. They suspect that two groups might be behind these incidents and they include the Naeem Bukhari group of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and nationalists organisations of the Sindh and Balochistan.

“We believe that nationalists organisations of Sindh and Balochistan have joined hands,” Additional IG, Karachi, Iqbal Mehmood, told The Express Tribune. “However, it is yet to be established if this is the work of one organisation or more groups are involved in it.”

Sources close to investigators said that they suspect the involvement of Naeem Bukhari group in the attacks on Rangers while SUPARCO and China Consulate blasts have linked to the nationalists organisations.

A bomb disposal squad expert told The Express Tribune that the bombs used in SUPARCO bus and Chinese Consulate have resemblance with the bombs used in attacking and destroying the railway tracks in Sindh and electricity pylons at Hub and Balochistan.

In these bombs, the terrorists usually use dynamites while the bombs used to target the Rangers personnel are made differently containing ball bearings, nut, bolts and high explosive. SP Crime Investigation Department, Mazhar Mashwani, also believed that Naeem Bukhari group was behind the attacks on Rangers as the Rangers had earlier arrested him but after his release he is now targeting the Rangers personnel in revenge.

He said that “Chinese Consulate blast and SUPARCO bus attack is a reaction by nationalist organisation on the issue of Zulfiqarabad while Rangers are coming under attack from Naeem Bukhari group.”

Clifton SP Dr Farrukh Ahmed said that the police have found a CNIC of the person who purchased both motorcycles from the Akbar Road in Saddar. He said that police was able to get the copy of the CNIC of the person, Qasim, from the dealer while the owner of one motorcycle, Khalil, and a dealer are already in the police custody. In replying to a question, Dr Farrukh said that the CCTV footages obtained from Chinese Consulate and its surrounding areas have proved fruitless while police was also getting help from NADRA to trace the suspects.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 25th, 2012.

COMMENTS (2)

Amazedby missinformation | 11 years ago | Reply

The news article yesterday, breaking the news of the blast clearly stated the blast happened inside PITHM (Pakistan Institute of Hotel management). As a resident of this area for years. I know , Chinese consulate is at least 400 meters away from PITHM.

It can also be said that the blast happened near Russian consulate (much closer to PITHM than Chinese consulate)

Basit | 11 years ago | Reply

Zulfiqarabad, a pet project of Zardari is bound to fail.

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