KARACHI As the death toll in Friday's twin blasts rose to 33 on Saturday, the police launched investigations into the attacks with serious professional flaws in their approach and made no effort to obtain the readily available CCTV footage from the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), the scene of the second explosion that killed more than a dozen people.
The investigators also faced handicaps because the surveillance cameras installed in the area adjoining the site of the first attack — the Shahrah-i-Quaideen flyover — by the city government and the Sindh IT ministry to help the traffic police are not yet operational. Such cameras had provided technological edge to the investigation into the Ashura bomb blast followed by arson attacks.
“We have gathered a number of facts to reach a final assessment,” said DIG for investigation Ghulam Qadir Thebo, heading a four-member investigation team, including three other senior officers. However, he responded in the negative when asked about the acquisition of the CCTV footage from the JPMC.
“In addition to the police, there are other teams of investigations looking into the incident. We are coordinating with the people concerned and the process is in its initial stages.”
A senior official at the JPMC said the footage of the emergency unit, released by the health department, shows there were a number of other CCTV cameras installed inside the hospital, monitoring movements in the health facility.
“We have six cameras installed outside the emergency unit,” said the head of the casualty at the JPMC Dr Seemi Jamali, who is also a director of the federally-administered hospital.
“Similarly, there are a couple of wards of the hospital, which are being monitored through the same surveillance system. After Friday's incident and suspension of emergency services, our department is fully operational.”
With no such technological option available for the first incident, the investigators now plan to look into the traffic movement on Sharea Faisal preceding the attack on the bus carrying people to the Chehlum procession. They are obtaining footage captured by the city government' command and control centre through a camera installed at Karsaz.
“Almost hour-long footage before the first blast has been acquired from the city government's facility to spot any suspects travelling on Sharea Faisal to reach the spot of the first target. The police and other investigation agencies are taking care of this footage,” said an official.
However, movements on other parts of one of the city's busiest roads remained unrecorded as nearly half-a-dozen surveillance cameras installed by Sindh's IT ministry on Sharea Faisal for the assistance of the traffic police have yet to become operational.
“The installation of these cameras has been completed, but they have not been linked up to make them operational,” said a source in the police's traffic section.
“Of the total 40, a few cameras installed across the city to regulate and monitor traffic movement, cameras at the Tipu Sultan, Baloch Colony, Drigh Road, Star Gate, Kala Board, FTC Bridge, Regent Plaza and the Mehran Hotel intersections have been made operational mainly for demonstration.”
A number of investigators kept visiting the sites of the two blasts and police now look for forensic examination of different objects collected at the scenes.
“The two blasts were of similar nature as emerged from their modus operandi,” said Mr Thebo, the DIG for investigation. “And the bomb recovered and defused further strengthened our findings that computer monitors were used in the two attacks. We have collected samples and chemical examination would further determine the nature of explosive used, but it's not C-4, which was used in previous bomb attacks in the city.”
He said the remains of the motorcycle used in the first blast had been moved for a forensic examination, which would establish its make and features such as registration.
“The numbers of the reiteration, engine and chassis were punched. We are waiting for the result of the forensic examination, which would help determine facts about the motorbike,” he added.
