Pune/Nagpur, May 15 (PTI) A man nabbed for allegedly placing an improvised explosive device in a private hospital in Pune did so to extort money from the facility as he did not have funds for treatment, a senior police official said on Friday.
Shivaji Rathod, who runs a garment shop in Pune's Manjari area, was nabbed from Shalimar Express by Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) with the help of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) while he was trying to flee, the official said. The train (No. 18029) was going from Mumbai LTT to Shalimar near Howrah in West Bengal.
The probe into the case began after the IED was found in the washroom of Ushakiran Hospital in Pune's Hadapsar area on Wednesday evening. The device was neutralised by a team of the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad.
"His identity was established during the probe. During the search of his shop, an empty case of the timer used in the IED was found. Multiple teams were formed to trace the accused, who was held in Nagpur by an ATS team," Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar told reporters.
On May 10, Rathod had gone to Ushakiran Hospital for some treatment, but the cost estimate given to him was on the higher side and he lacked funds, Kumar said.
"He then hatched a plan to plant a bomb at the hospital in order to extort money," the police commissioner added.
Earlier, ATS officials said Rathod was being questioned to check if others were involved with him in the case.
They said Rathod was tracked down to Nagpur and held from there on the basis of CCTV footage and technical evidence.
The probe into the case was carried out by the Pune police, its Crime Branch and the Maharashtra ATS, they added.