Lahore

Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the police in Pakistan and other law enforcement agencies (LEAs) carried out raids and on the basis of intelligence reports have picked up some suspects over their possible involvement in the bomb blast in Anarkali market in Lahore on Thursday.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Rao Sardar Ali Khan has also tasked the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) with handling the blast case besides the CTD. Search operations are underway across Lahore to trace those responsible for the bombing, the Dawn newspaper reported.

An unidentified man is suspected to have placed high-intensity explosives weighing between one and 1.5 kilograms in Lahore's Anarkali area which caused Thursday's blast that killed three persons and injured 26, according to the local media.

An official privy to the development told the Dawn that the law enforcers received a tip-off about the presence of suspects in areas adjacent to Anarkali and other parts of the city.

He said that call record data and footage from CCTV cameras deployed in the bazaar and the roads leading to it, as well as other localities, provided crucial leads for law enforcement.

Security personnel used geofencing and other similar tactics to track down the major suspect.

The official refused to acknowledge any progress, claiming that it would be premature to say anything while the inquiry was ongoing.

After seeing the Paan Mandi crime scene on Friday, the CIA director called a meeting and assigned teams to investigate the highways that the lead suspect may have taken to flee, reported the newspaper.

"We have dispatched teams to all the bus stations, railway stations, and exit-entry points of the provincial capital," he said.