After tracing suspicious calls of alleged terrorists, the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) constituted for probing the Chairing Cross incident has reached South Punjab to collect further evidences, said police sources on Thursday.
According to them, the JIT had collected all the call data of cellular devices used in the area of 'The Mall' before and after the suicide attack. With the help of 'geo-fencing', the JIT had 'short listed' several mobile phone numbers of the suspected terrorists, they added.
They said the suspected calls locations were traced from the South Punjab and the JIT decided to move to the place without wasting time. The law enforcers have also enhanced the scope of its crackdown against the criminals, especially against Afghani people living illegally in the city.
The police sources said they were conducting raids in several areas of the provincial metropolis, especially at brothels, gambling and drug paddling dens and such other places to arrest accomplices of the suicide bomber. They detained over 170 suspects but most of them were later released after completing legal formalities.
The sources told Business Recorder that law enforcers are trying to ascertain the identity of suicide bomber, his handlers and facilitators by asking blast victims about their physical appearances to finalise sketches of the accused.
The Counter Terrorism Authority (CTD) has also sought help of the public by offering a bounty of Rs1 million to the informer and promising not to reveal his/her privacy.
Meanwhile, Hammad Raza, spokesman for the DIG Operations, said that SP Model Town Division Ismail Kharak conducted mock exercises in Model Town area in order to ward off the 'expected terrorist' activity at the Lahore Grammar School (LGS) in which a large number of Dolphin squads, security personnel, divisional DSPs and other senior officials took part.
He said the police department in collaboration with the personnel of intelligence agencies also conducted search operation at Mall Road, Biddon Road and other areas, and arrested over 100 suspicious persons who have been shifted to an unknown place for the interrogation, he mentioned.
SP Civil Lines Ali Raza said police department will conduct search operations on daily basis in order to maintain a peaceful atmosphere in the city.