0
KARACHI, Feb 7: Fear spread in a commercial area in Saddar on Saturday afternoon when an anonymous phone call warned a shopkeeper at a mall that a bomb was going to explode. The building was searched by the bomb disposal squad of the police department for at least two hours. They reached the conclusion that it was a hoax call.
A senior police official said a shopkeeper at the China Shopping Mall on Abdullah Haroon Road had informed the Madadgar 15 that he had received an anonymous call conveying the bomb threat.
A heavy contingent of law enforcement agencies, a fire tender and 15 ambulances of Edhi Foundation reached the spot. A bomb disposal unit also rushed to the spot and thoroughly searched the building which was vacated in the shortest possible time. The unit continued to search for almost half an hour and declared the building safe.
The occupants left the building in panic. Police, using a loud speaker, asked the people to remove their cars parked near the building. Edhi sources said one of the cars was not on the excise and taxation record. The car was removed immediately by the traffic police officials. It was cleared later.
Rizwan Edhi of Edhi Foundation said that 15 ambulances were called and stationed near the building to meet any eventuality. "We also helped police in vacating the building," he added.
The traffic police closed Abdullah Haroon Road from Fawara Chowk and Zaibunnisa Street from Regal Chowk. The traffic was diverted from Fawara Chowk towards Shaheen Complex or it returned to Sharea Faisal. The traffic from Regal Chowk was diverted to Burnse Road and M.A. Jinnah Road.
DIG Traffic Yameen Khan said: "The diversion of traffic to the alternative routes in emergency led to traffic jams."
Motorists and commuters in public transport suffered a lot because of the closure of the two main roads which affected M.A. Jinnah Road, Burnse Road, Sharea Faisal, Metropole, Club Road, and other link roads.
KILLED: A man was found dead in his house in Quaidabad on Saturday.
Police said that the body of Iqbal Nabil Khan, 27, was lying in a pool of blood as his head had been hit with a sharp-edged weapon.
Iqbal, driver of a coach, might have died instantly. His body was shifted to a hospital for autopsy. He hailed from Waziristan.
ROBBERIES: Three robberies were reported in different localities on Saturday, police sources said.
Some bandits got into a 16-A route bus and robbed the passengers of cash and other belongings. Huzoor Bux, one of the passengers, reported to the Shah Latif police station that the bandits had deprived him of Rs500,000. Arsalan, another passenger, was robbed of Rs35,000.
Robbers stormed into the house of one Iqbal in Islamnagar, Orangi Town. They held the family hostage at gunpoint, collected cash, jewellery and other valuables and fled.
Bandits entered the house of one Mohammad Fareed in 3-A area of Landhi, held the occupants hostage and decamped with Rs22,000 and jewellery.
