TAXILA, Jan 3: Claiming to foil a terror plot, police on Monday said they have seized a vehicle laden with explosives and arrested two suspects.
Superintendent of Police Potohar Division Pervaiz Bandial, flanked by Deputy Superintendent of Police Raja Taifoor Akhter, told a press conference that on a tip-off, a car (RIA-7160) was stopped on Thatta Khalil Road near Taxila's main crossing. He said police recovered 150-kilogram explosives, 2,000 detonators, 5,750 safety fuses, eight explosive packets and 4,800-metre detonator wire. Police arrested Mohammad Safdar and Azhar Mehmood and recovered two pistols were from them.Terming the explosives local, he said they were manufactured by a public sector company of Wah Cantt and a private company of Chinot. SP said explosives could raze a five-storey building.
He said the suspects, in preliminary interrogation, have confessed that they were to hand over explosives to a man, Gohar Khan. Saying that raids were being conducted to nab other members of the racket, he rejected the perception that explosives could be used in suicide attacks.
He said the suspects would not be handed over to intelligence agencies, adding that the two arrested persons have confessed to selling explosives to a number of people in different areas. The SP said legal action would also be taken against the manufacturing companies.
Soon after seizure of explosives, an army bomb disposal squad was called to defuse them.
Sources said police and Elite Force commandos arrested wife of Gohar Khan and shifted her to an undisclosed location.
In March last year, Wah Cantonment police had foiled a bid to smuggle 240kg explosives and arrested two persons, Zawwar Khan and Raheem Dad.
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