Karachi ATM explosion, initially blamed on technical fault, was arson

KARACHI: A CCTV footage showing a man deliberately setting fire to an ATM on Karachi’s Chand Bibi Road has emerged on social media, contradicting the technical-fault theory police initially cited for an explosion at the site on July 19.

The footage, which surfaced on Wednesday, shows a man entering the ATM booth of a private bank near Civil Hospital in the city’s Old City area and pouring what appears to be petrol inside the machine. He is seen making repeated attempts to set it alight, the first two failing, before a third attempt triggers a sudden blaze that engulfs the entire machine, matching the force of the explosion described in the original police account. The suspect fled the scene and remains at large.

Police had initially said the ATM exploded on the night of July 19 after developing a technical fault that sparked a fire inside the machine, splitting it into two pieces and shattering its glass. No casualties were reported. Officials and bank staff had reached the site soon after the blast, cordoned off the area and collected evidence, and an FIR was registered on July 20 on the bank’s complaint.

Following the footage’s emergence, police said they were re-examining CCTV recordings from the site and surrounding areas to trace and arrest the suspect. No arrests have been made so far, and officials said a formal statement on the suspect’s identity would only be issued once the investigation is complete.