Pulakeshinagar IED blast case cracked, personal rivalry behind the plot

The Bengaluru police have cracked the case of the recent blast at an under-construction building on Jeremiah Road, injuring two, and arrested a 27-year-old bakery salesman, who allegedly conspired with two childhood friends to murder his uncle by assembling an improvised explosive device (IED) concealed inside a parcel. 

According to the police, the prime accused held a grudge against his uncle, Allauddin M., over property and financial disputes, as well as a personal issue involving the breakdown of his sister’s marriage.

The incident occurred on October 20 when workers were at the building. A loud explosion was heard on the fifth floor, and an investigation revealed that an IED concealed inside a torch had exploded.

The IED was assembled in Raichur by one of the conspirators, who learned from YouTube. Material obtained from firecrackers was used as the explosive material in the IED, rigged inside a battery using an electrical circuit and pellets.

Investigators said the accused had prepared a parcel containing the device and left it at a petty shop near the building where Allauddin was working. The accused allegedly contacted him over the phone and pressured him to open the parcel.

Allauddin, who was having lunch, asked his colleague to open it and the device exploded when the parcel was opened. Allauddin and his colleague, Suraj Kumar, a security guard from Uttar Pradesh, sustained severe injuries.

The case had led to speculations of terrorism owing to the involvement of an IED, even as sleuths from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) also joined the probe.

Home Minister Priyank Kharge had appealed to not give into rumours, even as the Bengaluru City Police launched a massive operation to crack the case. Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said around 1,200 personnel had worked in different teams during the investigation and announced a ₹3 Lakh reward for those who cracked the case.