CHARSADDA: A girls’ school and a health centre were blown up, while an improvised explosive device was defused near the house of an ex-army man in Shabqadar tehsil on Thursday.

Also in the day, police seized huge cache of explosives and arms during a search operation in different localities of the tehsil.

Local residents and police said unknown miscreants blew up a three-room building of government girls’ primary school, Masho Khwar, with an improvised explosive device, in the jurisdiction of Saro Kalley police station.

In the second incident, a basic health unit at Aqrab Dag was blown, also with an IED. All the five rooms and veranda of the health facility were flattened.

Both the blasts were so powerful that they were heard far and wide with people storming out of their houses in panic. The police registered cases in both the incidents and began investigation.

The attacks on educational institutions and health facilities worried the local people who demanded of the district administration to hunt down the culprits.

They alleged that through a conspiracy the doors of education were being shut on their children.

Meanwhile, the bomb disposal squad personnel defused an explosive device planted by unknown miscreants near the house of a retired FC man, Musharraf, at Shah Beg area.

The police said the bomb weighed seven kilogram.

However, no group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Also, the police seized explosives and weapons, including six rocket shells, four hand grenades and other material, from a house in Ghani Qilla area during a search operation.

DPO Shafiullah told Dawn that the spike in violence was the reaction to continued and successful police search operation in various localities of Charsadda. He said the police had arrested a number of POs and suspected militants.

GIRL STRANGLED: A ten-year old girl was strangled after being gang raped by unknown people in the jurisdiction of Hkanmai police station on Thursday.

Local residents said unknown persons kidnapped the girl from Bogaro Shah and shifted her to unknown location where they strangled her after raping her. They then threw her body in a drain.

The victim’s father told police the girl was going to her uncle’s house when unknown persons kidnapped her.

The police registered case against unknown accused and began investigation.