Investigators get a hold of CCTV footage

IG Sindh insists no weapons, suicide jackets and explosives are missing.

KARACHI: The investigations into the attack on the CID centre will be completed within three days as the CCTV footage of the attack has been retrieved, IG Sindh Salauddin Babar Khan Khattak informed journalists on Saturday.

Talking to the media after the funeral prayers of police constable Umro Ahad - who was killed in the attack on the CID Civil Lines office on Thursday - Khattak said that parts of the truck that exploded in the blast have been collected for investigations.

Denying reports of weapons, suicide jackets and explosive materials missing from the scene, Khattak claimed that no ammunition was missing from the CID centre. He also denied reports of the terrorists having succeeded in freeing six people from the targeted office, adding that none of the arrested people were in the building at the time.

Meanwhile, Ahad’s funeral prayers were held at the Garden police headquarters on Saturday. A number of prominent police officials, including CCPO Fayyaz Leghari and DIG (south) Iqbal Mahmood, were present.

EDO municipal services Masood Alam said that the CID blast had affected 170 houses and apartments, while most buildings in the surrounding areas had also developed cracks.

‘KESC did not stop power supply before blast’

The power supply to the CID centre was not stopped before the bomb blast, the Karachi Electricity Supply Company (KESC) claimed in a statement. Moreover, KESC went all out to make sure that the blast site continued to receive electricity after the attack so that relief work was not hindered, the company claimed.

The police department owes dues amounting to Rs600 million to the company, KESC revealed, adding that while power supply to the CCPO office was discontinued on Thursday morning, it was restored an hour before the bomb blast after the company was paid Rs2.9million as part of the outstanding dues.

KESC teams and vehicles had reached the targeted site immediately after the blast to remove broken wires and power cables from the site so that they did not injure anyone. KESC also arranged for mobile generators and emergency search lights to help in the rescue operations while all surrounding feeders had been exempted from power cuts to facilitate the rescue and investigative activities.

The KESC management was also in touch with the police, Rangers and the home department to respond to any specific needs during the difficult time, it was stated by the company.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM PPI

Published in The Express Tribune, November 14^th, 2010.