MARDAN: A suicide bomber blew himself up in the agricultural fields near the building of the Chora police station here on Thursday night, officials claimed on Friday.

Suleman Shah, media in-charge at the office of the district police officer, claimed some officials spotted the body parts of alleged suicide bomber lying at different places in the agricultural fields.

He said the blast was initially taken as sound of a tyre of a heavy vehicle bursting as the police station was located on the main road. He claimed the police had also found from the spot an identity card of a 17-year-old youth identified as Mohammad Ayub, hailing from Mamond tehsil of Bajuar district. Meanwhile, regional police officer, Mardan, Mohammad Ali Gandapur visited the spot and was briefed by officials about the alleged suicide blast, a statement said.

In the statement, the police chief claimed that security had been tightened in Mardan region after the blast. He said investigation had started to trace out handlers and accomplices of the suicide bomber.

The Counter-Terrorism Department has registered an FIR of the incident.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2022