KARACHI, March 5: Some 48 hours after Sunday’s massive bombing at Abbas Town, police were finally allowed on Tuesday by area people to visit the scene of the bombing.

“We have managed to gain access to the crime scene after consistent requests to the Shia ulema,” remarked a senior police officer of the area.

“Yes, we have collected some evidence by digging up the crater formed by the explosion,” said the CID investigations’ SP Mazhar Meshwani.

During the excavation of the crater, the rear suspension of a vehicle, apparently a Suzuki loading truck, and an axle were found, the SP told Dawn.

“We have handed over the articles to the investigation police. They will consult an auto-expert in the morning to know the make of the vehicle through the components,” Mr Meshwani explained.

He said the latest components found were in addition to the traces of two vehicles, a Subaru and an Adam truck, discovered at the crime scene.

By Monday night the police had ascertained the presence of a Subaru at the scene, which was also confirmed by IG Fayyaz Leghari.

On Tuesday, investigators said traces of a mini-truck of the Adam Motor Company called ‘Zabardast’ had been found at the scene.

However, when further investigations were carried out and people were questioned by the police, it turned out that the Subaru car and Adam truck belonged to the owner of a ‘Pakwan centre’, catering shop. The shop was wiped out in the blast, said SP Niaz Ahmed Khosa, a member of the investigation team.

At the time of the bombing both vehicles were parked at the scene of the blast. The blast had taken place almost in front of the caterers, a police officer said.

All these bits of evidence had been collected through informal means by the police without officials going to the scene, the officer remarked.

Addressing a press conference on Monday night, IG Fayyaz Leghari had stated that by Monday night police had not been able to visit the scene of the bombing.

Explaining reports about two blasts, another senior police officer said that the fire from a pole-mounted transmitter and some cylinders fitted to vehicles had also blown up, giving the impression of twin bombings.

Strong anti-government sentiments had developed at Abbas Town when no one from the government went to the scene for several hours following the Sunday bombing.

Initially a solitary fire tender had gone to the scene to douse the raging fire.

“Some of our men had gone to the scene soon after the blast, but they were given a severe hiding by the enraged youths following which the police didn’t try to enter the area,” said a senior police officer.

The deputy secretary general of the Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen, Maulana Sadiq Raza Taqvi, said after the Sunday night blast some enraged people might have misbehaved with policemen, but later no one had stopped them from coming in.