RAWALPINDI, Feb 18: Foreign Office Academy building was damaged in an explosion caused due to gas leakage on Tuesday afternoon, police and eyewitnesses said.

According to the police, the explosion occurred at the academy located in sector F-5/2 at around 3pm. As a result of the explosion, a wall collapsed and windowpanes were shattered, they added.

The police said two cars parked in the porch were also damaged due to the falling debris. However, nobody was injured in the incident.

On hearing the blast, the police and people from the surrounding areas rushed to the scene.

The police told Dawn that one of the students had lodged a complaint about gas leakage on Tuesday morning. When the concerned staff was checking the pipeline, it exploded causing damage to the building and cars, they added.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Islamabad police ruled out possibility of sabotage and termed the incident as a gas leakage explosion.

ANTI-TERRORIST SQUAD: The Rawalpindi police have formed an “anti-terrorist squad” to arrest fugitives wanted by the police, the SSP Rawalpindi, Syed Moravat Shah, said on Tuesday.

The decision to form an anti-terrorist team led by the SP CIA Rawalpindi, Mian Akhtar Hayat, was made at a meeting held at the Police Lines on Monday night, he added.

The police official told Dawn that the anti- terrorist squad had been formed to arrest the terrorists ahead of Muharram.

To strengthen the existing police force, it has also been decided to call the Punjab police constabulary and the reserve police force from training colleges for Muharram duty, he added.

The SSP said the “investigation wing”, which was separated from “watch and ward” after the implementation of police reforms, had been shifted back to police stations to redress public complaints. Now the investigating officer will be answerable to the station house officer (SHO), he added.

He said ongoing crackdown on bookies and efforts to check crimes would continue in the future.

ROBBERY: Six robbers entered the house of a senior OGDC official and escaped after looting cash, jewellery and other valuables, police said.

The OGDC director, Afzal Chaudhry, residing in sector F-7/4 lodged a complaint with the Kohsar police saying that six robbers entered his house on Monday night and held his family at gunpoint.

The criminals snatched Rs50,000 in cash, gold jewellery and mobile phones from the family members and escaped after locking the inmates in a room.