ATTOCK: Unknown miscreants planted an explosive device in front of the District Police Officer (DPO) headquarters in Attock, but it was traced by on duty guards before any damage could be caused, sources said.

Police sources said that on duty guards of DPO headquarters detected a suspicious metal device hidden in flower pots near the car porch in front of the DPO’s office at about 10.45 pm.

The matter was immediately brought to the notice of the security branch of the headquarters and DPO Muhammad Hillal Khan.

After reporting the discovery, the DPO along with a bomb disposal squad, elite force and others police officials rushed to the scene and cordoned off the entire building, sources added.

On contact, the DPO Muhammad Hilal Khan said that the bomb disposal squad has defused the explosives device.

"But thank God that it had been detected in time before any disaster," he said.

Police officials are now examining the CCTV footage, installed in and around the DPO office in order to indentify the miscreants and also for questioning other police officials, who were on guard duty in the evening.

Due to the situation, an extra police force has also been posted for security of the district police headquarters and district police lines along with adjacent buildings of government offices.

The Attock police is been under severe threat since the August 16 attack on Kamra PAF Minhas Base.

The police had been on the hunt of terrorists involved in the attack after the identification of three militants connected with the August 16 incident.

The placing of the explosive device could be in connection with the ongoing hunt for militants.