February 07, 2008	Thursday	Muharram 28, 1429

KARACHI, Feb 6: The police are treating the latest bid by a suspected suicide bomber to ram a car into a police mobile casually. The incident, which occurred with the nephew of former Supreme Court chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah in the DHA, was reported to the police on Tuesday night.

There are reports that similar incidents have also occurred in the past few days in different parts of the city, but the victims have not formally reported the matter to the police.

Close to sunset on Tuesday, Zahid Shah gave a lift to a young man from the Kalapul area. The man asked Zahid if he could drop him on Saba Avenue.

“After coming to Saba Avenue, the man, instead of getting out of the car, told the driver to ram his vehicle into a police mobile, which was stationed at the Imambargah Baqiatullah,” SP Asif Ajaz told Dawn quoting Zahid.

After hearing his demand, Zahid stopped his car in an open plot and told the “suspected suicide bomber” that he would not act on his commands whatever the consequences, the SP said, adding that a little later the suspect got out of the car and walked away.

Later, Zahid informed the police about his ordeal, but by that time the suspect had ample time to get away, the SP said.

However, the description of the suspect was quite unlike that of a ‘typical’ suicide bomber. Though he appeared to be from the tribal belt, he was wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a jacket and didn’t have a beard, police said.

“A formal entry about the incident has been made at the Darakshan police station, but police simply don’t have any clue to work on,” a senior police officer said.

Capital City Police Officer Niaz Ahmed Siddiqui said that “police are using baits in the hope that such a person might ask for a lift or get into one of our cars.”