Bengaluru IED blast: Police verify footage from over 100 CCTVs, form 5 special teams
Bengaluru, Oct 23 (IANS) The cops in Pulakeshinagar are awaiting the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report and have launched a hunt for those responsible for the suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast at an under-construction house in Bengaluru, police said on Friday. The police have verified footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras so far and formed five special teams to investigate the incident.
The investigation is primarily focussed on how the accused procured the explosive materials and who delivered the parcel that triggered the explosion. The police are also tracking the person who delivered the parcel and suspect that one of the associates of the accused people may have brought it to the spot.
The police have recorded the statements of the two injured persons and are pursuing the investigation based on the clues gathered from their accounts. However, the statements of one of the injured, Allauddin, have reportedly been inconsistent, adding to the challenges faced by the investigating team.
Allauddin, who has been discharged from the hospital, is said to be shaken by the incident. During questioning, he reportedly told the police that a man had handed him the parcel. At the same time, he maintained that the parcel had been left near the under-construction building and that he had picked it up from there. The police are trying to establish the sequence of events and verify his claims.
The other injured person, Suraj, is currently not in a condition to give a statement to the police. Investigators are expected to record his statement once his condition permits.
Meanwhile, Rahman, the owner of the house where the explosion occurred, has denied any involvement and claimed that he had no knowledge of the incident. He has also not provided any information about possible personal enmity that could have led to the explosion.
The East Division Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) is monitoring the investigation. The police are continuing to examine the available evidence, CCTV footage and statements as they attempt to identify those behind the incident and determine how the explosive device was procured and delivered.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to take up the probe into the suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion at an under-construction building in Bengaluru’s Pulakeshinagar, with preliminary investigations indicating that an IED was used to trigger the blast.
The NIA has sought a report from the Bengaluru Police regarding the incident and has obtained reports from the local police and the Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) team. If further investigation is required, the agency is likely to inspect the scene.
Currently, the teams from local police and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) are investigating the incident, with officers focussing on the circumstances under which the explosive device was brought to the building and the identity of the person behind it.
According to preliminary information, the IED was concealed inside a box that was delivered to the under-construction building as a parcel. An unidentified person reportedly made an anonymous phone call to the security staff, asking them to receive the box and keep it inside the building. The caller allegedly claimed that the parcel contained a torchlight.
Acting on the instructions, the security guard collected the box and kept it inside the building. The box was subsequently opened, and the battery was switched on, triggering the explosion. A painter present at the spot and another person were injured in the blast. One of them reportedly lost a finger, while the other sustained minor injuries.
Investigating officers are now working to trace the anonymous call and identify the person who instructed the security guard to receive the parcel. The police are also examining how the box was delivered and whether anyone else was involved in placing the explosive device at the site.
The use of an IED has raised concerns among security agencies, with investigators examining whether the incident was part of a larger conspiracy or stemmed from personal enmity. The possibility of a personal dispute being behind the explosion is also being investigated.
The incident has drawn particular attention because Bengaluru is known as the Silicon Valley of India and is home to several defence establishments, scientific institutions, research centres and manufacturing facilities.
Security agencies are concerned about how the person or persons involved acquired the technical expertise to assemble an IED using a battery as part of the triggering mechanism. Investigators are expected to examine the device’s design, the materials used and the method adopted to trigger the explosion to establish the motive and determine whether the incident has wider security implications.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday urged people not to believe rumours and said the authorities would have to wait for laboratory reports to establish the cause.
–IANS
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