MULTAN/SAHIWAL, Feb 24: Three people died when the explosives they were carrying on a bicycle exploded accidentally in Chichawatni, Sahiwal district, on Saturday morning.

Police believed that Adeel, Mohammad Akhtar and Maqsood were going to plant the explosives or to carry out a suicide bombing during the Qul of slain SHO Rana Mohammad Saeed where senior police officials were scheduled to arrive. The device went off when the bicycle hit a road bump near a cattle market. Adeel and Maqsood died on the spot and Akhtar died in the Chichawatni Civil Hospital.

Adeel and Akhtar were students of the Madarssa Azizul Aloom and Maqsood belonged to the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi. The three were aged between 22 and 30 years.

Maqsood’s head was separated from his body. His identity was confirmed by his mother in the evening.

Police believed that the bombers’ prime target was Sahiwal police chief Syed Javed Hussain Shah, who during his posting in Vehari had killed banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi chief Riaz Basra in an encounter.

Following the explosion, the Chichawatni police arrested five teachers and 40 students of the seminary. Police also took into custody Mukhtaran, the mother of Maqsood. His father, Farooq, is wanted by police in sectarian terrorism and is still at large.

Maqsood was recently released from jail after undergoing a seven-year imprisonment under terrorism charges.

The police official Saeed, whose Qul was held on Saturday, had been kidnapped and his body had been found in a canal in Burewala on Feb 21. Posted in the Khanewal Sadar police station, Saeed had reportedly been kidnapped from Arifwala in the Pakpattan district. During his posting in Multan and then in Khanewal, he had arrested a number of sectarian terrorists.