MARDAN, Feb 7: Unidentified persons blew up 10 shops in a CD market at Cahto Chowk area here in the small hours of Monday.

The residents of the area said that an improvised explosive device was planted in the market that went off with a big bang. Most of the shops in the market are CD centres.

They said that six CD shops, two electric shops and two tailoring shops were destroyed in the blast. However, no loss of human life occurred in the incident as the market was closed at the time of explosion.

The huge blast spread a wave of fear among the people living near the market, they said. Police rushed to the scene soon after the blast and cordoned off the area. A case was registered at Hoti police station against unidentified persons.

Meanwhile, the officials of City police station claimed to have recovered and defused explosive material weighing five kilograms on Monday. They said that the explosives were planted outside the gate of an imambargah in Bekat Ganj Bazaar. A police parting spotted the explosive during patrolling. The explosives were defused by the bomb disposal unit.

Police said that a case had been registered against unidentified persons. They said that security had been beefed up in the area.

Rocket defused

The bomb disposal squad defused a 122mm rocket which was lying in the KDA children park in Kohat on Monday.

The people informed the police that an unexploded bomb was lying in the children’s playing ground. The police cordoned off the area and safely dismantled the device.

Meanwhile, an old enmity over a property dispute claimed a life in Billi Tang area on Monday. The diseased Yasir Khan was shot dead by Gul Sharf. On the other hand, the commissioner Kohat division ordered the police to provide foolproof security to the Hungarian oil exploration company.

Addressing a joint meeting of the police officials and representatives of MOL Company on Monday he regretted the attack at company’s staff. He stressed that safety of the oil and gas reserves was the first priority of the government. —Dawn Report