KARACHI: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of police on Thursday initiated investigation into a low-intensity blast that had damaged a gas pipeline passing through the Hub River area in Manghopir late on Wednesday night.

The CTD officials suspected involvement of Baloch nationalists in the IED (improvised explosive device) blast that they said might be linked with a renewed wave of violence in Balochistan.

It was a small explosion that damaged the two-inch-dia gas pipeline but did not cause fire, otherwise, it might have created problems for the authorities to restore the supply to the adjoining areas, said Manghopir SHO Haji Sanaullah.

The supply was restored by 3:10pm on Thursday.

The police later registered an FIR (147/2017) under Section 7-ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997) on a complaint of SSGC’s senior engineer Mohammed Riaz against unidentified suspects. The case was transferred to the CTD for investigation.

CTD DIG Amir Farooqi told Dawn that this was the third such sabotage activity in the area of Manghopir, as previously a gas pipeline and a power pylon were damaged in small explosions.

The officer said that they suspected involvement of Baloch separatists behind the gas pipeline blast, which might be linked to the renewed wave of violence in parts of Balochistan.

One held in rape, murder case

The Manghopir police, meanwhile, arrested a suspect over charges of his alleged involvement in rape and murder of a six-year-old girl whose body was found from the hilly area on Tuesday, according to officials.

The suspect was nominated in the rape-cum-murder case of the girl by her parents, said Karachi West SSP (Investigations) Akhtar Farooq.

During initial interrogation, the held suspect denied his involvement in the gruesome incident, therefore, the investigators decided to conduct DNA test to ascertain his possible involvement in the case.

Woman shot dead

A 35-year-old woman was allegedly gunned down by her father at his home in Lalabad area of Quaidabad on Thursday, according to Sukkan police. She was a mother of five.

The police said Mrs Neelam, 35, was allegedly killed by her father, Jehanzeb, who escaped from the crime scene following the incident. Sukkan police officer Nazar Mohammed Mangrio told Dawn that the victim had recently shifted to her father’s home after developing some differences with her husband.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2017