KARACHl: Fear and panic gripped the Defence area when people heard a mysterious blast that took place in a parked car in the early hours of Monday, officials said.

They said that the blast caused no casualty, but the car was completely gutted in the incident.

Darakshan SHO Arshad Janjua told Dawn that he got information that a Suzuki Mehran car (AAW-716) parked on a plot in Khayaban-i-Mujahid caught fire.

He said he rushed to the spot at around 3.40am and found that the car was completely burnt because of a `gas cylinder explosion`.

He said that six more cylinders, including one leaking gas, were also lying there.

The area SHO said it appeared that the gas leak might have caused the explosion.

`The bomb disposal squad was called to ascertain the exact nature of the explosion.

Till late in the night, no case was registered about the explosion as the police had not received the report of the BDS.

About the car, the area SHO said that it was stolen from Jahangir Road area on Sunday. The owner had lodged a report with the Jamshed Quarters police regarding the incident, he added.

The police were trying to obtain the CCTV footage from the area to know who parked the vehicle and left gas cylinders there.