KARACHI: In the early hours of Saturday, four unidentified gunmen opened fire on a restaurant in Karachi’s Orangi Town and threw a hand grenade before fleeing the scene.
Fortunately, the grenade did not detonate, and a bomb disposal unit successfully rendered it safe, according to local police.
The incident occurred at around 4:15 am near Frontier Morr, a busy area in Orangi Town.
Following the gunfire, the assailants tossed the grenade at the closed restaurant and escaped on two motorcycles, said police sources.
The restaurant’s owner, who lives on an upper floor, reported the incident to police after hearing the gunfire.
Police arrived, securing the area and called in bomb disposal squad. The BDS successfully disarmed the grenade.
Investigators recovered three spent bullet casings at the scene, and initial inquiries suggest that the attack may have been intended to create panic in the neighbourhood.
The restaurant owner noted that the establishment typically closes at midnight. He shared that he had previously received extortion threats in 2022. A suspect connected to those threats was arrested but was released after a year in custody.
Police officers, including SHO Mominabad Shahbaz Yousuf, said that the assailants wore helmets to obscure their identities.
CCTV footage from the area is currently under review, and police are intensifying efforts to track down the attackers.
