Cops arrest owner of earth moving company for HAL blast

The HAL police have arrested the owner and the manager of an earth moving company on Friday, and charged them under the Explosives Substances Act for using ammonium nitrate to blast the rocks.

The material exploded at a garbage dump in Lal Bahaduru Shasthri Nagar near HAL on Tuesday evening and created panic in the area, though there were no casualties.

A senior police official said they arrested Arun Kumar alias Vasanth (38), owner of Bhumika Earth Movers, and manager Kiran V (26). The company is located at T Dasarahalli near Peenya.

The duo was arrested following a forensic report that the explosion was caused by ammonium nitrate, which was earlier used in blasting the rocks in the area. Kumar and Kiran were produced before the magistrate, who remanded them to judicial custody.

Investigations revealed that the company did not obtain permission from the authorities to use ammonium nitrate to blast the rocks. It took a tender from the Central Public Works Department to build a residential quarter at the HAL premises. Since the terrain was rocky, they used ammonium nitrate. The police official said the ammonium nitrate was dumped at the site after the blasting work was over.

Later, garbage was dumped over the explosive substance. Workers living in the sheds near the construction site set fire to the garbage without realising the presence of the explosive substances underneath.

Forensic experts examined the site and gave the report, stating that the blast was caused not by gelatin sticks as was suspected earlier, but ammonium nitrate.