CUTTACK: A 53-year-old man was killed when the crude bombs he was allegedly making exploded in a house in Nemalo police limits of Cuttack district late on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Mirza Akbar Beg of Nahalpur. Two of his hands were severed in the powerful explosion that almost brought down the house located in Mangi Gada under Jhadeswarpur gram panchayat.
Police said Akbar was a hardcore criminal and probably preparing bombs for a crime.
According to locals, the house had two rooms facing towards the road while the other two opened to the backside. It was constructed by Mirza Hasmas Beg, a native of Shaktipur hamlet in Mangi Gada. A garment showroom operated from the two rooms facing the road, while the two backside rooms had been rented out.
Sources said, Akbar was staying in Mumbai and had returned home barely two days back. The explosion was so powerful that the house was damaged while the iron shutter of the rooms on the rear side was shredded to pieces which were thrown to a distance of 50 feet. Locals found Akbar with his hands severed in the explosion and rushed him to SCB Medical College and hospital where he succumbed.
Senior police officials rushed to spot and launched an investigation. Police recovered bomb-making materials, a bike, gas tank and as many as eight live bombs from the spot which were defused by a bomb squad.
Cuttack SP (rural) Prateek Singh said Hasmas had rented out the house to his son-in-law who was running the garments showroom.
“Akbar was a hardcore criminal and making bombs for either dacoity or some other purposes. The house owner and his relatives are being quizzed in connection with the incident,” said Singh.
A year back, a nephew of the deceased was also killed in a similar explosion while he was making bombs at Narendrapur playground.