A suspected female suicide bomber was arrested during an intelligence based operation (IBO) conducted by the Counter Terrorism Department along with intelligence agencies near Ladies Park Block 4 of Quetta’s Satellite Town, the department claimed.

The operation was being conducted against the banned Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), a CTD spokesman said in a statement on Saturday.

The CTD has been making raids in different areas of the province as the country deals with the recent wave of terrorism after the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban called off the shaky ceasefire deal with the government.

“On the night intervening between February 17 to 18, 2023. CTD and intelligence agencies got a credible source information that banned terrorist outfit BLF lady suicide bomber namely Mahbal intends to carry out a signature suicide bomb attack on some key installation/LEAs in Quetta,” it added.

Acting on the tip-off, the CTD team Quetta conducted an operation near the Ladies Park Satellite Town Quetta, “whereby a pedestrian lady (with a shoulder bag) as identified by the source was stopped with the help of lady searchers.” The team claimed that a suicide bombing jacket was recovered that weighed 4kg to 5kg from her possession.

A first information report was registered at the Police Station CTD Quetta under sections 4 (punishment for attempt to cause explosion or for making or keeping explosive with intent to endanger life or property) and 5 (punishment for making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances) of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. Section 7 (punishment for terrorist act) of the Anti-Terrorism Act was also added to the case.

An investigation has been launched to arrest the remaining members of the network.

A group of terrorists attacked the Karachi police office on Friday. Two policemen, one Rangers man, and a sanitary worker were killed in the operation clear the five-storey building located in the commercial area of the city.

At least three terrorists were killed in the attack, for which a security lapse was blamed on Saturday by investigators as they try to further probe the incident.