By: Rana Haider and Sami Randhawa
Police official says fingerprints taken from remains of bomber did not pull a match from database
The investigation into Monday’s suicide bombing in Lahore took a new turn on Tuesday after the fingerprints were taken from the remains of the suicide bomber did not pull a match from the database available with NADRA, a police official told Pakistan Today, as the provincial capital observed a day of mourning in respect of the victims, among them senior police officials.
“No details came up when NADRA tried to run a check,” said the police official. “The bomber appears to be an Afghan national,” added the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. On the other hand, a first investigation report (FIR) was registered with the Civil Lines Police Station under terror charges against unidentified persons on the complaint of its station house officer.
According to the FIR, four people were allegedly involved in the suicide attack: one blew himself up while the other three fled the scene. Nevertheless, with another fatality, the death toll from the blast soared to 15 on Tuesday.
DAY OF MOURNING AND FUNERAL
All main markets and business centres remained closed as the citizens mourned their dead, with the flags at government buildings being flown at half-mast. The funeral prayers for the seven slain police officers, including DIG Traffic Lahore Ahmad Mobeen and SSP Operations Zahid Gondal were offered at Elite Training Centre on Bedian Road. The slain DIG Traffic was laid to rest in Cavalry Ground graveyard, while Zahid Gondal’s body was sent to his native village in Mandi Bahauddin through a helicopter.
Talking to media at the crime site, IGP Mushtaq Ahmed Sukhera said that police with the help of other law enforcement agencies was investigating Monday’s attack from every angle. He said that the government and the police were on the same page and the culprits would not be able to save themselves from the hands of the law. Investigation teams gathered evidence and clues from the scene.
In a statement, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the attack had targeted the police, adding that the bomber was not alone. “In the footage from the cameras placed in Model Town, two men can be seen walking towards the blast site,” he said, adding “Of the two men seen walking from the Punjab High Court towards Mall Road, one seems to be 30 to 35 years of age and may be the handler. The other individual seems to be between 15 and 17 and may have been the suicide bomber.”
Sanaullah said that initial evidence was being taken into consideration as the investigation proceeds further. However, he clarified that new geo-forensic evidence might impact the direction of the investigation.
