QUETTA: Policemen patrolling the city’s Hazar Ganji area in a vehicle survived a bomb blast on Monday.

According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Abdul Razzaq Cheema, the improvised explosive device (IED) was planted near the gate of the Hazar-Ganji vegetable market.

DIG Cheema said the first vehicle safely passed the [market] gate along with other cars but when the second vehicle, in which the Station House Officer of Shalkot was sitting, was crossing the gate the device went off.

Officials said that the device was detonated by remote control.

As a result of the explosion, the windscreen of the SHO’s vehicle was shattered. However, SHO Maqbool Ahmed and other police personnel remained unhurt.

“The IED was planted in garbage,” DIG Cheema said, adding that around 2kg of explosives were used for the blast which left windowpanes of nearby buildings shattered.

Sources said that police and FC personnel launched a search operation in the area and took some suspects into custody.

Published in Dawn, October 24th, 2017