THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As many as five country-made bombs were recovered from Kulathoor market on Wednesday morning putting the police on the edge. The bombs were wrapped in a plastic cover and were found by the traders, who came to the market in the morning.
The bombs were safely moved to Kazhakootam station by the cops and later diffused by the bomb squad. The police have launched a probe and the immediate priority is to identify the culprits from the CCTV visuals.
Kulathoor is a sensitive spot having history of political and gang-related violence. The police suspect the involvement of criminal gangs having political patronage behind the incident. The initial assessment is that the bombs could have been stocked to be used against the rival gangs if violence breaks out between the criminal gang members.
Kazhakkoottam and nearby areas in the past used to be safe havens for the criminals. Some of the notorious gangsters, including Karate Suresh and Peeli Shibu, hail from the area.
In 2022, the Railway police had recovered 12 country-made bombs from near the railway track at Kazhakkoottam. As many as five people, including two Assam natives, were arrested in this case. The bombs were made for a criminal gang to attack the rival gang members.
In the same year, a 35-year-old Thumba native was attacked with bombs near Thumba by a three-member gang. Rajan Cleetus was attacked using crude explosives by a gang lead by a history-sheeter Leon Johnson, resulting in the farmer's leg getting blown up.