Chhattisgarh: One-sided lover's parcel bomb plot foiled; explosive smuggling racket busted

Khairagarh: A 20-year-old electrician from Chhattisgarh allegedly planted an improvised explosive device (IED) in a music system speaker and sent it as a gift to the husband of a woman he was infatuated with, police said on Sunday.

The accused assembled the IED using online tutorials, designing it to detonate upon being plugged in. His Google search history showed "how to kill a person using a bomb without being caught by police", officials said.

With the arrest of the man, the police in Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district have not only foiled a planned murder but also unearthed an explosive smuggling racket which supplied gelatin sticks to the accused, they said.

In a similar case in April 2023, a newly married man and his elder brother were killed after a home theatre music system received as wedding gift from his wife's former lover exploded in their house in neighbouring Kabirdham district.

In the latest case, the prime accused, Vinay Verma, and six others have been arrested, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district Superintendent of Police (SP) Lakshya Sharma told PTI.

The others have been identified as Parmeshwar Verma (25), Gopal Verma (22), Ghasiram Verma (46), Dilip Dhimar (38), Gopal Khelwar and Khilesh Verma (19), as per the police.

The conspiracy came to light when a suspicious parcel, neatly gift-wrapped and bearing a fake India Post logo, was delivered three-four days back to a shop in Manpur village under Gandai police station limits.

The parcel was addressed to village resident Afsar Khan, the intended target. Finding it suspicious, Khan promptly alerted the police, the official said.

A bomb disposal team examined the package and found a 2-kg IED concealed inside a brand-new speaker, the SP said.

Technical analysis showed the IED was designed to detonate upon being plugged into a power source. The current would reach a detonator connected to the speaker's wiring, triggering the explosion, the official said.

Gelatin sticks were used as the primary explosive, and the speaker's outer casing would act as deadly shrapnel upon detonation, he said.

The investigation suggested that Vinay Verma, resident of Kusami village in Khairagarh, allegedly hatched the plot in a bid to murder Khan, the official said.

Verma, an electrician, procured the speaker and assembled the IED using online tutorials. His mobile phone's Google search history included "how to kill a person using a bomb without being caught by police", Sharma said.

The accused was in one-sided love with Khan's wife since her college days. After she married Khan a few months back, Verma allegedly plotted to eliminate him, he said.

Further probe indicated the explosives used in the device had been siphoned off from a stone quarry in Chhattisgarh's Durg district.

Durg resident Parmeshwar allegedly paid Rs 6,000 to procure gelatin rods from Gopal and Dilip, also natives of Durg. Ghasiram delivered the explosives, while Khilesh is accused of preparing the fake India Post logo used on the parcel, the official said.

Verma, with the help from Gopal, eventually delivered the explosive-laden gift to Khan's shop. Subsequent raids at the premises of Gopal and Dilip in Durg led to the seizure of 60 gelatin sticks and two detonators, he said.

The explosives had been illegally diverted from a quarry in Patharia area, whose operator will also be questioned, he said.

"This action not only thwarted a planned murder but also exposed a network of illegal explosive supply in the region," Sharma said.

Further investigation was underway and strict legal action will be taken against all those involved in the crime, he added.