Suspects rounded up, explosives found in districts

Two hand grenades also defused by BDU officials in Bannu.

SHABQADAR/ BANNU/ DI KHAN: Police arrested over 60 individuals, seized ammunition and defused explosives with the help of the bomb disposal unit in various parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday. After the Army Public School attack on December 16, 2014, police and security forces have cracked down against suspected anti-state elements, conducting frequent raids and making thousands of arrests. Afghan refugees are also under close scrutiny, with hundreds deported.

Big haul

In a search and strike operation in Charsadda, police officers arrested 48 suspects and 16 proclaimed offenders from different areas of Shabqadar.

Zain Khan Jadoon, an official at police headquarters in Charsadda, said personnel from four stations of Shabqadar Circle participated in the operation. It started at 4am and went on till midday.

In addition to the arrests, a large cache including three Kalashnikovs, nine rifles, 13 pistols, 443 rounds and 2.6 kilogrammes of drugs was seized from the accused. Police and security forces in Charsadda have been conducting such operations on a weekly basis after the APS attack.

Burying it

In DI Khan city, police seized explosives weighing around 10 kilogrammes and four hand grenades found concealed in Chah Syed Munawar Shah graveyard.

Locals were attempting to dig a grave when they came across the explosives, said an official of the City police station.

Meanwhile, officials of the bomb disposal unit defused two hand grenades found by locals in Katay Kala area of Bannu.

An official of Mandan police said they rushed to the site with BDU officers after locals informed them about what they suspected were hand grenades lying in nearby fields.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 30^th, 2015.