Extortion retaliation?: Grenade thrown at departmental store

One man was injured and at least three vehicles caught fire.

KARACHI: A man was injured while at least three vehicles caught fire when armed men threw a hand grenade outside a departmental store near the NIPA flyover on Friday evening. 

The Chase departmental store is situated near the NIPA Chowrangi in Gulshan-e-Iqbal within the limits of Aziz Bhatti police station.

Upon being alerted on the attack, a heavy contingent of Rangers and police reached the site while the bomb disposal squad was also summoned to the site.

Police officials said that two men riding a motorcycle had thrown the grenade. They added that some parked vehicles were partially damaged in the attack.

The assailants managed to make good their escape.

Officials believed the grenade was thrown after the store operators refused to pay extortion money, before hastily adding that investigation were still underway.