KARACHI, Oct 16: A banned religious group, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, has claimed responsibility for the three parcel bomb explosions which caused injuries to eight policemen and an employee of a courier service here on Wednesday afternoon.

The blasts occurred at the offices of Sindh Home Department, Crime Investigation Department (CID) and DIG Karachi Operations.

Another one — the fourth of the series — was detected by the police outside the DIG Operations’ office and was defused before it could explode. All the bombs, delivered to these offices, carried the message: “A gift from MMA”.

An e-mail message sent to newspaper editors late in the evening claimed that the parcel bombs had been placed by Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.

The injured were identified as Superintendent of Police Zulfiqar Junejo; DSP Mohammad Fayyaz; PA to DIG, Waqar Abbasi; head constable Mohammad Amjad; constable Sarfaraz; Guard of Home Secretary, Gulrez Khan; Messenger Mohammad Shafqat; dispatch rider Riaz Mohammad; and an employee of a private courier service Taj Mohammad.

Hospital sources said the condition of Waqar Abbasi was critical because of profuse bleeding as he had lost a right-hand wrist and three left-hand fingers.

Police said the first parcel was delivered by hand at SP Zulfiqar Junejo’s office. As the man who carried it went away, DSP Fayyaz examined the envelope on which were inscribed the words “a gift from MMA”.

He tore the envelope open and pulled out a packet covered in wrapping paper. He said it looked like a diary. But he was surprised why a diary should come so early before the year was out. Confused, he untied the ribbon and the bomb went off with a bang.

The windowpanes and the glass top of his table were smashed and those present in the room had their hearing impaired for the time being.

At the time of blast, SP Zulfiqar, HC Amjad and constable Sarfaraz were present in the room and the four sustained injuries from splinters while Fayyaz, who opened the parcel, lost his fingers.

The second blast occurred outside the room of the Sindh Home Secretary, Brig Mukhtar Ahmed, in Tughlaq House when his guard opened an identical parcel. It had been sent to the home secretary, with the word “personal” prominently marked on it.

The security people checked it and warned the officials of home secretary’s office not to open it. The guard, Gulrez Khan, who was unaware of the situation, opened the parcel which exploded with a deafening noise.

The third parcel, delivered at the office of the DIG Karachi Operations, Tariq Jamil, carried the identical inscription. It was received by his PA, Waqar Abbasi, who opened it before Taj Mohammad, the man who brought it. Waqar was seriously injured, as were Riaz, Shafqat and Taj Mohammad.

The police took into custody the last-mentioned and sent him to a hospital.

He told the police that he was an employee of Shaheen Courier Service and had come on a motorcycle (RNC-4904), which was parked outside the DIG office.

Some parcels were kept on the motorcycle. The police detected a parcel bomb from among them, which was addressed to DSP Mazhar Mashwani. It was taken to an adjacent ground and defused.