Vinod M Jain
The Tumakuru police have cracked the case involving crude bombs recovered after a car explosion on National Highway-48 and arrested a 64-year-old man from Uttara Kannada for allegedly supplying the explosives to the deceased accused.
The case stems from an incident on June 27,when accused Nagendra (30) allegedly abducted a woman from Bengaluru in an Uber cab at knifepoint.
While the cab was passing through the Sira Sub-Division, the accused allegedly attempted to attack the woman with a knife and threatened the driver,claiming he was carrying crude bombs.
The Uber driver managed to throw one crude bomb out of the vehicle after the accused allegedly tried to ignite it.
The woman escaped from the cab and fled on a passing two-wheeler.
Moments later,the accused allegedly ignited another crude bomb inside the vehicle,triggering an explosion that killed him on the spot and destroyed the car.
Following the incident,the police secured another unexploded crude bomb found near the spot with the help of the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO).
The bomb was later safely defused at a designated location after obtaining court permission.
A Special Investigation Team headed by Sira Sub-Division police launched an extensive probe involving multiple teams.
Investigators visited the accused’s native village in Uttara Kannada, the victim’s village,and locations in Bengaluru where the accused had stayed before tracing the source of the crude bombs.
The investigation revealed that the explosives had allegedly been procured from George Niklov Fernandes (64) of Chandavar village in Honnavar taluk of Uttara Kannada district.
Joint teams from Tumakuru and Uttara Kannada arrested the accused during a coordinated operation on the night of June 29-30.
Police said the investigation also found that the accused had allegedly supplied crude bombs to three other local persons.
A separate case has been registered at Ankola Police Station in this connection.
The arrested accused reportedly fell ill during interrogation and was admitted to a government hospital before being shifted to the district hospital for further treatment.
Police suspect he was manufacturing and selling crude bombs locally,allegedly for illegal fishing activities. Further investigation is underway.
