LARKANA: A group of armed men broke into the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) office in Dokri and terrified its staff by resorting to indiscriminate shooting targeting fixtures, furniture, computers and equipment.

They escaped after causing extensive damage to the office and warning the staff, who had to duck and hide under tables and behind anything that could protect them, of dire consequences.

Waheed Nawaz Soomro, the official in charge of the Nadra office, told Dawn that a visitor asked him for a token but was requested to come after the lunch break as there was a heavy rush of customers at that time. Mr Soomro said the man got angry and started shouting and threatening him and the security guard of dire consequences but left the office.

However, according to Mr Soomro, he along with five or six armed men returned to the office a little later and started firing inside and outside the office.

A police team arrived at the office but the attackers had already escaped by then.

Meanwhile, Mr Soomro apprised his high-ups of the incident and under their directives lodge an FIR (No.6/2016) at the Dokri police station under Section 6L of the Anti-Terrorism Act and Sections 324, 354, 448, 449 and 337 of the Pakistan Penal Code against six suspects, identifying one of them as Jamil Shaikh.

No arrests were made till late in the evening.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2016