More leads found in Police Lines bombing case

PESHAWAR: Police officials on Friday said the investigators had found the helmet, shoes as well as more specimens of the alleged suicide bomber from under the rubble of the mosque which were sent to the laboratory for forensics.

Capital City Police Officer Muhammad Ijaz Khan said the investigators have found more specimens of the suicide bomber while removing the debris. He added the helmet and shoes of the bomber were recovered as well.

“Shoes and helmets are not allowed inside by the guards deployed outside the mosque and these are placed in a rack,” said an official. The officials said a woman had been taken into custody and her DNA samples collected to find if the bomber belonged to the same family.

Reports said two more sections of the law were added by the Counter-Terrorism Department to the first information report lodged in the suicide attack on the mosque in the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines.

The joint investigation teams are probing the incident from all angles including finding the perpetrators who had sent the bomber to the site. Senior police officials said 85 policemen and two civilians were martyred while over 220 were injured in the attack during the Zuhur prayers on January 30.

The casualties, according to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari, were high as the roof of the old mosque building collapsed after the blast. The pictures of the old mosque shared with the media showed no pillars in the main hall to provide support. The roof caved in due to the shock after the blast.

A large number of policemen including senior officers offered the Friday prayers at the mosque after arrangements were made for regular worship. Fateha was also offered for the departed souls of those martyred in Monday’s attack.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah along with senior officials also visited the bombed mosque. The CCPO Peshawar briefed the chief minister about the incident. The visitors also offered fateha for the departed souls.

An official said the Sindh chief minister announced Rs 1 million in financial support for each family of the martyrs and Rs 500,000 for every wounded one. IGP Islamabad Akbar Nasir Khan and Chief Commissioner Noorul Amin Mengal reached the site to pay tribute to the fallen cops and express solidarity with the KP Police.