KARACHI, Dec 19: Police suspect that Asif Ramzi, chief of a faction of the outlawed Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, was among the four persons who died in an explosion in a house in Korangi early Thursday.
Sindh police chief Syed Kamal Shah told Dawn that some vital clues were recovered from the house, suggesting Ramzi’s presence there. Elaborating, the official said that the police had found an identity card from the spot which — though issued in the name of Babar — carried Ramzi’s photograph.
Ramzi was wanted to the police for his alleged involvement in many high-profile cases, including the recent parcel bombings in the city, police said.
The IGP suspected that the four were preparing for a terrorist activity when the blast occurred as the police had also found at the house two ballistic caps as well as a casing of a 107mm rocket.
A wallet, with Rs12,000 in it, another ID card and a handwritten hit-list, carrying names of police officials, were also found, the IGP said.
Four men were killed in the explosion. The blast was so severe that it shook the entire structure and shattered windowpanes of some adjacent buildings. Mutilated body parts were recovered from the neighbouring house as the common wall between the two houses had collapsed and the body pieces had flown to there.
Initially, the police had said that a house located in Allahwalla Town, Sector 31-B Korangi, had collapsed at about 9:45pm after a big bang.
Exactly what had caused the blast is yet to be ascertained, but a senior police official said that mishandling of some explosive devices couldn’t be ruled out.
The blast occurred in the rented portion of the premises, police said. A red Suzuki pickup (KE-0374), parked outside the house, was partially destroyed. Two badly-damaged motorcycles — KCD-7119 and an unregistered one — were also found from the house.
According to the police, on Feb 2 Mohammad Atiq had lodged an FIR with the Brigade police, reporting that the registration plate of his vehicle — KE-0374 — had gone missing. Police were trying to trace the owner of the vehicle as the Citizen-Police Liaison Committee had no record of the vehicle.
A senior police official told Dawn that a person, Akhlaq, had rented the premises from its owner Khalid Anees, through an estate agent in August. But Mr Anees had never seen Akhlaq as the agreement was reached through an estate agent, who is absconding.
Police said Akhlaq had rented the premises for his leather business. A portion of the godown continued to be in use of the owner, where some bags containing chemicals were kept.
Police said these chemicals could be used in terrorist activities. Pervaiz, the caretaker of the godown, is being questioned.
The IGP said there were possibilities that a fifth person had also died in the explosion. The bodies were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for postmortem examination.
