As many as 16 people, including a minor girl were injured, when an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted on a motorbike exploded in a roadside parking outside a food outlet on College Road here Thursday night in the limits of City Police Station.
The sound of the blast was heard miles away in the city. Soon after the blast, heavy contingent of police including Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), fire brigade and Rescue 1122 rushed to the scene and shifted the injured to District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, where doctors stated the condition of five patients including a small girl as critical.
Police sources said the terror activity was allegedly carried out by extortionists who had demanded Rs 50 million from the owners of a famous food outlet of twin cities. The extortionists had also thrown a cracker at the house of the owner within the limits of Police Station Sihala on January 3, 2014.
An official of the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) said 500 grams explosive material was used in the blast. According to eyewitnesses, a young man parked a motorcycle around 9:51 pm in the parking lot outside Savor Food and disappeared. They said the blast occurred shortly after the suspect left the site, where hundreds of people including families were having dinner.