HYDERABAD: A suspect was killed in the small hours of Thursday morning near the offices of deputy commissioner, Jamshoro, when the improvised explosive device (IED) he was carrying went off.

His body was found in nearby bushes.

Police and administration officials confirmed the incident.

The deceased was identified as Allah Bux, son of Maula Bux. His father is posted as ASI at the Site Police Station, Kotri.

Jamshoro SSP Javed Baloch told Dawn that the suspect went missing five months back but his father didn’t report it to the police. He said the IED exploded and the suspect’s hand was blown up.

Suspect ‘went missing’ a few months ago

The suspect also carried a remote control which was, apparently, to be used for detonating the device.

According to Jamshoro Deputy Commissioner Fariduddin Mustafa, the man died at a place not far away from his office. He said the suspect might have tried to plant the bomb outside the DC office to cause casualties on Thursday morning when visitors started visiting his office.

The SSP said no one claimed res­p­onsibility for the blast but he did not rule out involvement of the nationalist Sindhudesh Revolutio­nary Army (SRA) group. The SRA has been carrying out subversive activities by blasting tracks and attacking officials of law enforcement agencies in Sindh at regular intervals.

A bomb disposal squad official Ramzan Panhwar said that around 200 to 300 grams of explosives and ball bearings were used in the canister to make the IED.

He said the main railway track was passing through the area at some distance from the DC office. He said the body was badly damaged by the impact of the blast.

The DC said that just a day before, police had informed him that security would be withdrawn from his office as per the directions of Police Headquarters to minimise security.

Police and other law enforcement agencies launched investigation into the incident. Mr Panhwar said evidence had been collected from the place of the occurrence.

DSP Kotri Malik Riaz and SHO Site police station, Kotri, Sub Inspector Khair Mohammad Mallah said the suspect was 35 years old and a resident of Ibrahim Kachhi village of Dadu district.

The SSP said security was tightened at the government offices in Jamshoro after the incident.

Later, a case was registered under sections 4 and 5 of the Explosives Act, sections 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, and Section 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code on a complaint of Police Post Telegraph in-charge ASI Ayaz Abro at the CTD police station, Hyderabad.

The FIR said Mustafa Chandio, an employee of Gopang Hotel located near the DC office, had reported the explosion over the phone. In the blast, the activist of a banned organisation was killed, who while planting the bomb.

The identity card of the suspect and other items were recovered, according to details of the case.

Qurban Ali Khushik in Dadu also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2022