KARACHI, March 4: The authorities have decided to send the forearm of the suicide bomber to Nadra for fingerprint matching. The limb was found at the site of the car bombing near US Consulate on Thursday.

Nadra will be matching the fingerprints from its national databank for establishing the identity of the suicide bomber.

The police suspected that the forearm might be of the suicide bomber.

The limb was badly charred and the fingerprints could hardly be read by the available apparatus.

They said presently the limb had been sent for medical examination, and the doctors would make it readable by the fingerprint apparatus.

If doctors succeed in their attempt and issue a certificate that fingers can be tested, they would send them to Nadra.

The sources said the limb with a medical certificate would be handed over first to the officials of the interior ministry. Later, the fingerprints would be scanned at the Nadra’s fingerprint apparatus to ascertain the identify of the suspect.

“If the identity of the bomber is established, it will be a breakthrough in the case”, said a senior police officer.

Nadra has registered more than 75 million adults in the country and it manages their fingerprints in its databank.

The Nadra has to initiate a check on its main server to match the fingerprints and the process may take several hours to complete.

Besides, the police are still groping in the dark as they could not make any head way on Saturday into the investigation of the car bombing near the US consulate, which occurred on Thursday, killing a US diplomat, his chauffer, and an official of Rangers.

However, investigators said that the car which was used in the explosion had been identified. It was snatched at gunpoint, but the car theives have not yet been identified or arrested.

Mir Zubair Mehmood, Acting DIG Investigation-II and a police spokesman, said a high level meeting was held here in which different teams investigating the case briefed the high-ups of the progress.

He said that some clue had been found which could not be shared with the press at the moment.

He hinted the involvement of a new terrorist group in the US consulate bomb blast and said nobody had heard the name of Jundullah before its men were held in the case of the attack on the corps commander’s convoy in June 10, 2004.