Bengaluru blast: NIA probes IED angle, police scan CCTV footage
Bengaluru, Oct 23 (UNI) The possibility of an improvised explosive device (IED) being used in the explosion at an under-construction building in Bengaluru has come under scrutiny, with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) examining the case as investigators race to establish the source of the blast, its intended target and the motive behind it.
The October 20 explosion on the fourth floor of a building on Jeremiah Road in Pulakeshinagar injured two people - a construction worker from Assam, Allauddin, and a security guard from Uttar Pradesh, Suraj. The blast has triggered an intensive investigation, with police exploring multiple leads and awaiting forensic findings to determine the nature of the explosive material. Five special police teams have been deployed to crack the case, while investigators have examined footage from more than 100 CCTV cameras to trace the movements of people and identify anyone who may have delivered the suspected explosive material to the site.
The probe is also focusing on whether the security guard was the intended target and whether personal enmity played a role. Investigators are questioning people connected with the building and examining the accounts of the injured to piece together the sequence of events leading to the explosion. The NIA's examination of the possible IED angle has added another dimension to the investigation, although the nature of the device, the circumstances of its detonation and the motive remain to be conclusively established.
Forensic analysis is expected to be crucial in determining the material involved and helping investigators distinguish between competing theories. Police are continuing to verify leads as they seek to establish whether the explosion was accidental or a deliberate act. Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge has appealed to the public not to spread rumours or draw premature conclusions while the investigation is under way. The investigators are now working to connect the forensic evidence, CCTV footage and witness accounts to determine how the blast occurred and who, if anyone, was behind it.
UNI BDN
