The presence of methane gas was discovered at the site of Sunday's deadly explosion in the Moghbazar wireless area of the capital, which may have been the cause of the destruction, said Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed.
However, the chief of police refused to draw any conclusion before a full investigation.
Initial investigation showed no signs of sabotage, the IGP told reporters at a briefing on Monday morning after visiting the explosion site.
"The explosion caused destruction in only one direction. If it were a bomb blast, the devastation would be caused in at least three to four directions. So far we have found nothing but broken pieces of glass. There is still the smell of methane gas inside the building. The fire service will bring their gas detectors and check if there is gas inside," he said.
"However, I'm not going to say anything right now. The incident will be investigated from all angles," the IGP added.
Noting that the fire service have already formed a probe committee, he said an investigation committee will also be formed by the police involving the bomb and explosion unit. At the end of separate investigations, both committees will present their findings.
Eight people were killed and 66 others injured following the huge explosion in a building near the Moghbazar Wireless intersection on Sunday evening.
The explosion occurred on the ground floor of a three-storey building around 7:00pm.
