The boy, Imran Gurgez, who was slightly injured in the incident, has been nominated along with two unidentified suspects in the FIR.
Narrating the incident to The Express Tribune, Imran's father Ali Asghar, a generator operator at the Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) Project in Tharparkar, said someone threw the explosives into the house of his cousin, Ali Akbar, in Gurgez Muhalla. "The [explosive] device, packed in a plastic bag attached to a stone, hit Imran's head," he said, adding that the device exploded and injured Imran when he opened the plastic bag in curiosity.
"We immediately went to the police station to tell them what happened and also requested them to give us a clearance letter for Imran's medical treatment," he said.
The police later searched the residence and found the device. A case under various sections of the Anti-Terrorist Act and Explosives Act was registered on Thursday night at the Model police station on the state's complaint.
Badin SSP Abdul Qayum Pitafi said they recovered a detonator, battery and remote from Akbar's residence. "It's too early to associate the suspects with any [terror] outfit," he replied when asked about their possible links with any religious or ethnic militant group. Unconvinced of Asghar's story, the SSP termed it "not at all credible."
The family claims five persons, including Imran, his father Asghar, uncle Akbar, and two more relatives have been detained. But the police have only declared Imran's arrest. Authorities claim he is 16 to 17 years old, but the family says he is only 12.
Model police SHO Ibrahim Jatoi said that they would obtain the boy's remand from the anti-terrorism court in Hyderabad on July 2. "We are looking into their links with both religious and ethnic groups involved in terrorism," the SHO told The Express Tribune. He claimed that children and young boys are often reported to be used in bombings which has made the police suspicious in this case.
An employee of the UCG Project, headed by nuclear scientist Dr Samar Mubarakmand, confirmed to The Express Tribune that Asghar was arrested from the plant early Thursday morning. His nephews, 21-year-old LLB student Mansoor Ahmed, 22-year-old Saeed Ahmed and 40-year-old cousin Haji Mohammad are also in police detention but the authorities denied their arrest.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 2nd, 2016.
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