RAWALPINDI - The investigators have taken fingerprints of the suicide bomber, who hit a procession in Dhoke Seydan, to match it with the NADRA record.
The body parts of the suicide bomber, including hands and legs, had been collected by the Civil Defense Department from the blast place, were also being reconstructed and DNA would also be conducted to identify him, said City Police Officer (CPO) Azhar Hameed Khokher while talking to TheNation on Thursday.
“The limbs of the alleged suicide are collected at the DHQ preserved for DNA,” he added.
He said that the doctors have been assembling the body parts of the suicide bomber and have taken finger prints to match it with the NADRA record. “We have found two hands and two legs from the bombing place.”
Azhar said that the police found two hands and two legs from the bombing place and sent for tests to determine whether the parts of a one body or of different bodies.
Speaking about the post-attack security steps, he said that more police contingent have been deployed to guard the Majalis and processions to avoid any untoward incident. “We have also requested to the government for provision of more police force to deploy it for the safety of Muharram processions,” he added.
Rebuffing the news that the policemen on duty did not stop the suspected suicide bomber at Dhoke Seydan, CPO Azhar Khokhar said that it was because of tight security of police that the attacker could not join the procession an blew himself up away from the procession. He said that four policemen and a traffic warden maimed in the blast.
The injured policemen included SI Muhammad Riaz, ASI Muhammad Farooq, constables Waqar and Amir and the traffic warden Muhammad Amir. “It will be wrong to say that police did not play its role to safe the procession,” he added.
Replying to a question, the CPO said the Qasar-e-Shabbir Imambargah at Dhoke Seydan was not declared as sensitive. However, after the recent attack, all the places would be monitored carefully, he asserted.
When asked whether there were walk through gates or not at the entry points to join the procession, the CPO said all necessary equipment would be provided at the all places where procession would be held.
He said at important points all security apparatus had already been provided.
On the other hand, Police Station (PS) Race Course had not registered a case FIR of the suicide blast.
When contacted, SP Potohar Division Syed Haseeb Shah said that preliminary information was being gathered and discussions were on with the organizers of the procession at Qasar-e-Shabbir to get a written complaint. “As all the mourners and organizers were busy in burial rituals, no body table application before polcie” he said.
He also said that an FIR of the case has been filed with the Race Course Police Station.
Meanwhile, the death toll rose to 23 including the teenage suicide bomber while 34 injured.
According to data collected from hospitals as many as 34 injured were admitted to three different hospitals with 28 in District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ), 5 in Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) and one injured in Holy Family Hospital (HFH).
Four injured persons admitted to the DHQ including a nine year old boy were said to be in critical condition. Rizwan Kazmi 9 has received fatal head legs injuries.
The head of the attacker said to be looking like a Pathan aging 17 to 18 years was also received at the hospital, said a senior doctor of DHQ.