RAWALPINDI: An improvised explosive device (IED) was found near the railway station on Wednesday.

A locally-made device, containing about 1kg of explosive material filled in a plastic bottle with a detonator, was described by bomb disposal experts as mobile device.

It was lying adjacent to an under-construction building in the vicinity of Mithu Khan Ahata Saddar along Railway Road.

The IED was spotted by the building contractor and called the Rescue 15.

Police, bomb disposal experts, the CTD staff and special branch officials immediately reached the scene and cordoned off the area. Regional Police Officer (RPO) Imran Ahmar also visited the scene.

The bomb disposal squad successfully defused the device and handed it over to the CTD for further investigations. However, no arrests have been made in connection with the recovery of the IED.

According to police sources, the under-construction building belonged to one of the top investors in Pakistan.

The area was being cleared.

However, when the RPO was contacted, he didn’t reply to the call despite repeated attempts.

Earlier on Dec 13, last year a hand grenade was lobbed on shoe selling vendors in front of Ganjmandi police station, leaving 13 people injured, none of them seriously.

It was the fifth incident in the garrison city this year and second during the last eight days.

However, a day after the hand grenade was lobbed in Ganjmandi area, the CTD had claimed that they had traced solved four of cases.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2021