LAHORE, Feb 5: Police claimed on Wednesday to have identified the importers of a consignment which exploded at the Sialkot dryport on Tuesday and killed 17 people.

The Blue Apple International, which had imported the consignment, turned out to be fake when record was checked, Gujranwala DIG Malik Iqbal told Dawn.

However, he said, two of the importers had been identified. “We had been able to trace the individuals with the help of one of the injured people, who had come for the clearance of the consignment when the incident took place,” he added.

The DIG said the injured man identified them as Khalil Ahmad and Shahbaz Ahmad of Lahore.

He told police that the importers had deceived the authorities by forging documents to import the explosive, the DIG added.

He said a police team raided their houses but they were missing. Efforts to arrest them were on, he added.

Besides, the DIG said police had sought the CBR assistance for technical aspects of the case like whether the imported goods, plastic bullets used in toy guns, were banned items. If they were a banned item, the CBR would also investigate involvement of its officials.

The DIG said apparently negligence caused the incident, ruling out possibility of a terrorist activity.

Sialkot SSP Shahid Iqbal said according to information he had gathered the two men identified as importers were clearing agents.

Real culprits were behind them, the SSP said and added that further details would be available after the arrest of two suspects.

SSP Shahid said a case on the charges of murder and importing explosives had been registered against the company which had imported the consignment.