LAHORE, Jan 26: Four locally-made bombs, planted outside the office of senior superintendent of police (operations) and as many along the wall of a government school in the Lower Mall area on Monday, were defused by the bomb disposal squad.

The area is a high security zone because of presence of two police establishments, district courts, Government College Lahore University, Government Islamia College, Civil Lines, three government schools and Karbala Gamay Shah.

Civil Defence Officer Mazhar Ahmad told Dawn that the bombs, weighing between 2.5kg and 3kg and fitted with detonators, batteries and wires, were hidden in different containers and could cause huge damage.

A city police spokesman told Dawn one bomb planted in a pickle jar was kept close to the main gate of the SSP office while another was hidden in a water cooler on the Rattgon Road which is on the back of the SSP office.

The third bomb was planted in a water cooler and the fourth along the wall of the Central Model High School on the Lower Mall.

He said the devices could have gone off had the information not reached law-enforcement agencies in time.

Sources in the Capital City Police told Dawn that planting of bombs outside the SSP office and in front of the City division SP office had exposed police claims of extra vigilance.

They said police were informed about three suspected items by pedestrians while the pickle jar lying at the main gate of the SSP office was spotted by a constable.

The sources said that the bombs could have caused huge damage on the Out Fall Road, Lower Mall Road and Rattgon Road, keeping in view the volume of traffic and congested localities.

Meanwhile, a case under 3/4 Explosives Act has been registered in the Lower Mall police station.