Two more on police radar in suspected IED blast in Bengaluru

Two more individuals are on the police radar in connection with the blast at an under-construction building in Pulakeshinagar in east Bengaluru, which is suspected to have been triggered by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

A senior police officer said the two individuals are suspected of having played a role in the logistics, including the delivery of materials believed to have been used in assembling the suspected IED.

Meanwhile, the Pulakeshinagar police have registered a case under Sections 61 (criminal conspiracy) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. These provisions deal with causing an explosion likely to endanger life or property and possessing explosive substances under suspicious circumstances.

A senior police officer told The Hindu that the police suspected an IED, citing remnants, including wires, was recovered from the scene. The blast was allegedly triggered after a torch button was pressed.

However, the police maintain that the nature of the material can be established only after the Forensic Science Laboratory report is received.

One severely injured

According to a senior police officer, one of the two injured persons – Allauddin from Assam and Suraj from Uttar Pradesh – is being questioned by the police. Allauddin, the officer said, has suffered a severe eye injury and is likely to lose vision in one eye.

Meanwhile, the Bengaluru police have contacted their counterparts in Assam and Uttar Pradesh to verify the antecedents of both the injured. Another senior officer said that neither of them had any criminal cases registered against them in Karnataka.

“Both are working in the city through a contractor and keep visiting their native places. We are verifying their backgrounds and previous whereabouts,” he said.

It is also learnt that an investigator from the National Investigation Agency has joined the city police as the investigation continues.