KARACHI: A passer-by and her two children were killed and two others wounded in what police described as a cylinder blast inside an eatery in a multistorey building on main University Road on Wednesday, officials and witnesses said.

The blast also caused substantive damage to the property and triggered panic among residents.

According to Gulistan-i-Jauhar SHO Azam Gopang, the gas cylinder exploded inside a pizza shop near the Mosamiyat roundabout at around 10.30am.

The blast was so powerful that it destroyed walls of the eatery as well as two adjoining shops and damaged a vehicle of the K-Electric parked outside.

Bomb disposal experts say the blast took place in the kitchen of a pizza shop due to gas cylinder leakage

Gulshan SP Maroof Usman told media that the ill-fated woman along with her two children came to visit her brother, who lived in the same building. She was at the stairs when the explosion took place.

The deceased were identified as Sadia Ali, 36, Fatima Ali, 4, and Abdullah Ali, 2.

The injured were identified as Burhan and Waqar. The dead and injured were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

The police called the Bomb Disposal Squad which, after examination of the place, ruled out any sabotage and termed it a “gas cylinder blast”.

During the inspection, the bomb disposal experts found that the blast took place in the kitchen of the pizza shop. The experts believed that the cylinder exploded “due to leakage of gas”.

The BDS took samples of soil and other material and handed over the same to the police for investigation.

Shopkeeper shot dead in Abbas Town

A 55-year-old shopkeeper was shot dead in the Abbas Town area on Wednesday, according to police.

They added that three assailants killed Mashood Ibrahim near Faria Chowk in Scheme-33.

Sachal SHO Zubair Nawaz said that the assailants riding two motorbikes entered the shop, shot Ibrahim in the chest and tried to ride away. But a police mobile stationed at Abbas Town chased them and an exchange of gunfire took place between the assailants and police.

As a result, one of the assailants was hit by a bullet in the leg. He abandoned his motorbike and managed to escape along with his accomplices on their bike, he added.

The SHO said the victim’s family told the police they had some “personal enmity” but they did not divulge further details.

He added that the family did not allow doctors to conduct a post-mortem examination and they were also reluctant to get an FIR registered. However, the police lodged an FIR about the encounter against three unknown suspects.

The victim previously lived in the Liaquatabad area.

Meanwhile, 40-year-old Mohammad Saleem was gunned down in Surjani Town on Wednesday.

Tanker driver strangled in Port Qasim

A 44-year-old man was found murdered inside Port Qasim on Wednesday, according to police.

They added that the body of Azam Ali was found near the edible oil tanker he drives close to the main gate of Port Qasim.

The body was shifted to the JPMC, where doctors said that he was strangulated.

Area SHO Imran Afridi said the incident occurred at a place which was not in the reach of the general public.

He said the victim originally hailed from Sheikhupura. His relatives told the police that they had no enmity with anyone.

The SHO said nothing could be said about the exact motive of the murder.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2021