Mangaluru Autorickshaw Blast: Cooker, Batteries & Wire Recovered from Site, K'taka Top Cop Confirms It's an 'Act of Terror'

The suspicious explosion inside an autorickshaw in Mangaluru on Saturday evening is now being treated as a bomb blast and the Karnataka police have termed it as an ‘act of terror’.

Police and FSL teams have recovered an exploded cooker that was being carried by the rickshaw’s passenger. Inside the cooker, 4 Duracell batteries, wires and remains of a electrical circuit have been found.

It appears that a floor mat was used to hold this whole circuit in place inside the cooker. The passenger had an ID card in the name of Prem Raj Kanogi but the police are verifying if it belonged to him and whether the card is original or fake. The autorickshaw is registered in the name of Durga Parmeshwari.

Initial investigation details point out that the passenger boarded the autorickshaw that was coming from Mangalore Railway Junction side at Naguri.

The passenger has sustained 50% burn injuries and is undergoing treatment at a hospital.

A bomb disposal squad and dog squad have reached the blast site and are combing the vicinity for any remnants of the blast.

ADGP Alok Kumar has ordered a high level probe and three police teams are pursuing leads. The state police are also closely coordinating with central agencies.

“It’s confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an ACT OF TERROR with intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka State Police is probing deep into it along with central agencies” tweeted DGP of Karnataka Praveen Sood.

The incident took place around 4:30 pm on Saturday, near Nagoori, Kankanady Town PS, Mangaluru City. The driver and the lone passenger  sustained injuries.

The blast comes less than a month after a car cylinder explosion in front of a temple in Coimbatore on October 23. One person, identified as Jameesha Mubin, was charred to death in the explosion. In the probe, police found that a petrol car was used to trigger the blast, and Mubin had tried to augment the impact of the blast by stocking LPG cylinders. The National Investigation Agency is investigating the case and six accused were arrested under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

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