Gelatin sticks explode near Puttur; homemaker injured

A 35 year-old homemaker sustained serious injuries after one of the crude bombs suspected to have been planted outside the house at Polya in Kabaka near Puttur, by a disgruntled employee exploded in the wee hours on Tuesday.

The blast victim, Shalini was shifted to a private hospital in the city by her husband Narayan Prasad (55), sources in Puttur police station told DH. “Shalini’s legs took the full impact of the explosion. She suffered multiple injuries from wood and glass splinters and she may need three to four years to stand on her feet,” quoting doctors Narayana told DH.

Dakshina Kannada Superintendent of Police B R Ravikanthe Gowda said two teams had been formed to nab the 60-year-old ex-employee Babu who is suspected to have planted the bombs outside Prasad’s house in retaliation to his removal.

The explosion took place around 2 am, and the deafening noise was heard around a radius of one kilometer, neighbours told DH. At around
2 am, Prasad was woken up from his sleep by a strong smell
of diesel. When he attempted to open the front door, he found it latched from outside. “While opening the windows, there was a deafening explosion and the front door was ripped apart,” he recollected with a shudder.

Prasad, who owns KN Caterers, says he would have been dead had he not stepped away from the door to open the windows. Due to the impact of the explosion, window panes were shattered and the door of an adjoining garage was also twisted.

Suspecting splinters of glass and wood to have been mixed with chopped vegetables and dishes cooked on the previous night for an event on Tuesday, Prasad had them thrown away.

Two more crude bombs were discovered around the house, and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) diffused the crude bombs. The dog squad, forensic experts were pressed to service and materials collected had been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for further analysis.

“The explosives are suspected to be gel based ammonia nitrate. These crude bombs trigger medium intensity blasts and are used in quarries,” SP Gowda told DH.

Disgruntled employee?

The SP informed that based on evidences they suspect Narayan’s disgruntled employee Babu had placed crude bombs around the house. The 60-year-old Babu alias Balu alias Mohammed from Kerala had sought employment in the house two months ago, after he was evicted from a local mosque.

A week ago Babu had left the house after Narayan Prasad had chided him for coming home in an inebriated state.

Prasad’s neighbour Sanjeeva Kabaka told DH that police had failed to keep track on the movements of strangers who were working as domestic help in many homes.

“The cases of drug abuse and drug peddling in the vicinity also had increased in recent times,” he said. Puttur town police had registered a case under Sec 307, 326, 427, 3 and 4 of Explosives Substances Act 1908.

Son of whole body donor

Narayana Prasad is the son of Shyam Bhat who had popularised whole body donation to a medical college and became a sensation.