Mangaluru airport bomb suspect surrenders in Bengaluru

Adithya Rao, the man who is suspected to have planted the explosive at Mangaluru International Airport, surrendered before the police in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

The 36-year-old confessed that he planted the explosive as he was “disturbed with the system”, a senior police officer said. Police also ruled out any terror motive.

DH was the first to identify the suspect as Adithya Rao on Wednesday.

Rao is a resident of KHB Colony in Manipal of Udupi district.

He landed in the office of the Director General and Inspector General of Police at 8.30 am on Wednesday, two days after the police released his images from CCTV footage as the suspect.

Rao entered the outpost on the premises of the office and asked the men on duty for an appointment with DG&IGP Neelmani Raju. Sources said the police didn’t recognise him. They said no officer will be available so early but Rao insisted on meeting the DG&IGP, and finally identified himself as Adithya Rao, the one who planted the explosive.

The officers soon passed on the message to their seniors, including Neelmani Raju. They also alerted the jurisdictional Halasurugate police.

Soon, a team of policemen arrived at the spot and took him to the police station for interrogation. Word got around by then and a large number of mediapersons gathered at the station.

A team of officials then took Rao in a police jeep for medical test. First, they went to Victoria Hospital but when the media started following them, they decided to take him to St Martha’s. There was speculation that Rao will be taken to MS Ramaiah Hospital. Finally, he was taken for a medical test at KC General hospital.

After the doctors confirmed that he was mentally and physically fit for police custody and questioning, Rao was taken to a confidential place in Vasanth Nagar where the Internal Security Division (ISD), Central Crime Branch (CCB) and Halasurgate police headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Halasurugate sub-division, questioned him.

Rao’s confession

Rao told the police that he planted the explosive as he was angry with the system. He said he arrived in Bengaluru by public transport and landed in Majestic. He then went for a walk in Banappa Park and an hour later, arrived at the DG&IGP office to surrender.

Officials sought to know whether Rao had joined hands with any terror or fundamentalist elements. The ISD, after questioning him, came to the conclusion that Rao is not a terror element.

A Mangaluru police team took him into custody and questioned him till 3.30 pm. His statement was taken by the Halasurugate police. Rao was later produced in the first ACMM court. After availing a transit warrant, he was taken to Mangaluru on the 7.15 pm flight.