In a mysterious incident, an autorickshaw exploded in Mangaluru on Saturday. According to reports, the driver and the passenger sustained injuries. After the detailed probe, the police on Sunday said that the incident is not an accident but an 'act of terror'.
According to the police, the fire originated from the passenger's bag. Both the injured are out of danger said the police officials. The forensic team is conducting further investigations, they said.
"It’s confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an 'Act of terror' with the intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka State Police is probing deep into it along with central agencies," said DGP Karnataka Praveen Sood.
The driver and the passenger who sustained injuries and got hospitalised were out of danger, said the officials.
Though the investigation is ongoing, the probe had revealed that the passenger might be involved behind the incident. The police have recovered fake ID cards and materials required for blasts from the residence of the passenger, say reports.
State Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said those injured in the blast were being provided good treatment. "They are not in a position to speak. The information we received shows that there is a deep conspiracy behind the incident. It is visible that the perpetrators had a link with the terrorist organisations," he said reported PTI. He added that the state police is in touch with the central agencies and in a day or two the all the details will come out.
Meanwhile, the police had found a cooker fitted with detonator, wires and batteries used to trigger the blast. According to police, the blast in Mangaluru bears resemblance to the car explosion in Coimbatore.
The CCTV visuals from the location shared by the police, revealed an autorickshaw that was stopped on the road catching fire and exploding with a huge cloud of smoke.
After the incident, City police commissioner N Shashi Kumar rushed to the spot and told reporters after inspection that there was 'a fire' in the autorickshaw and there is no need for panic. He appealed against spreading rumours.
The police commissioner appealed to people to not panic. "There is no need for people to panic. There is no need to create confusion and spread rumours through social media. I will straightaway share the information with you whatever information we get," he said.
