Bengaluru, Oct 22 (IANS) 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, police said on Thursday.
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 local police and the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) are investigating the incident, with officers focusing 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.
It can be recalled that the explosion at an under-construction building in Bengaluru’s Pulakeshinagar is suspected to have been caused by an improvised explosive device (IED), even as 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.
The blast occurred around noon on October 20 at a building owned by Abdul Rehman. Two workers, identified as Suraj and Allauddin, were injured in the incident. One of them reportedly lost a finger.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Kharge said the investigation was underway and that the police were examining whether the explosion was caused by an IED or a chemical reaction.
“The matter is still being investigated. A preliminary investigation is underway, and the incident has been under investigation since last night. Let the laboratory reports come in. Before that, we should not pay heed to rumours,” he said.
Asked about the materials recovered from the site and whether the incident was a cause for concern, Kharge said, “There has been a blast, and that is all I can say.”
–IANS
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