Karachi, Dec 23 (IANS): A bag containing an improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered by the police from a train at the Cantonment Railway Station in Karachi, media reports said on Saturday.

Police said the bomb disposal unit reached the station after receiving information about the bomb in Awam Express and defused it through a controlled blast.

According to law enforcement officials, the train was arriving from Peshawar to Karachi on Friday and the bomb was hidden under a seat, Geo News reported.

Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) senior officer Raja Umar Khattab said the attempt to sabotage could have been done by a separatist group. According to the bomb disposal unit, the explosive was found in a black and red coloured school bag.

Director General of Police (DIG) South Syed Asad Raza said that the bomb, which weighed 5 kilograms, used 2kgs of explosives and was attached to a "time device" while a motorcycle battery was used to detonate it.

The DIG said that the possible target was the north of Sindh, as the time of the bomb was set at Friday 12pm and the train was near Sukkur-Rohri Junction during that time.

"The bomb did not explode at the time due to a malfunctioned wire inside it," he said, Geo News reported.

He said that the police were informed about the bomb one hour after the train reached the Cantt Station, adding that the report was made by the railway staff.

Raza said no case could be filed as of yet and added that it will be registered at the Railway Police Cantt Station.

DIG Raza said that the CCTV footage at different train stations from Peshawar to Karachi is being obtained. He added that the railway staff was also being investigated.