KARACHI: An improvised explosive device (IED), weighing around three kilograms, was defused by the bomb disposal unit (BDU) in a North Karachi area on Saturday.

Police said a Shahrah-i-Noor Jehan patrol was busy in routine snap-checking at Qalandaria Chowk in North Karachi’s Sector 14-A when a policeman spotted a suspicious bag lying along the wall of Jama Masjid Qalandria.

They said that the BDU was called and they confirmed after an initial examination that the bag was carrying a remote-controlled IED. However, it did not explode because a few wires were left unconnected.

“The bomb weighed three kilograms and it also carried nuts and bolts to make it more deadly,” said an official.

He said that investigators were sure that the IED was planted to target the police mobile, as the Shahrah-i-Noor Jehan police had made several arrests, including members of a banned militant group, in recent months.

The bomb contained in a plastic bag inscribed with a slogan, Al Qaeda bar-i-saghir, (Al Qaeda subcontinent), the official said.

Meanwhile, Sindh police chief Ghulam Haider Jamali announced a case reward of Rs50,000 each for the police team and BDU members who defused the explosive device successfully.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2015

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