BENGALURU: Three persons from Assam have been arrested in connection with an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in an under-construction building on Jeremiah Road in the Pulikeshi Nagar police limits in Bengaluru on October 20. Two persons were injured in the explosion.
The blast was allegedly aimed to kill a security guard, with whom the prime accused had land, financial and personal disputes in their village in Assam. There was no terror angle, said Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh on Sunday.
The accused have been identified as Burhan Ahmad Burbhuiyya (20), a welding and electrical worker staying in Maski of Raichur district for the past year; Jahidul Hussain Burbhuiyya (27), who works at a bakery in Jayanagar; and Sajidull Lashkar (22), who works at a hotel. The last two have been living in Bengaluru for the past six years. All three are childhood friends and hail from Dinanathpur in Assam’s Hailakandi district.
The injured have been identified as Suraj Kumar (28), a painter from Uttar Pradesh, and Allauddin M (53), a security guard at the under-construction site who is from the same village as the accused. Suraj sustained serious injuries. He is being treated at a hospital.
The police said Allauddin and Jahidul are in fact relatives and had financial, property and personal disputes. The marriage of Jahidul’s sister had to be called off because of their fight. Jahidul, who was simmering with anger, allegedly conspired to kill Allauddin and sought the help of his two friends.
Online tools used to prepare bomb, brought to city by bus
Burhan the electrician allegedly prepared the IED at his house and brought it to Bengaluru on a bus. Later, the device was placed in a box to make it look like a parcel and left in front of a petty shop near the under-construction building.
The accused then borrowed a stranger’s phone to avoid detection and called Allauddin, who had joined as security guard of the building just 15 days ago. They told him that the parcel was meant for him and he had to collect it. Allauddin took it, but as he could not open it, he handed it over to Suraj. When Suraj pressed a button on the device, it exploded, injuring both.
AI helped accused prepare IED
The police said the accused, who have studied only up to Class 8, allegedly watched online videos and gathered information from websites, including an artificial intelligence chatbot, to prepare the IED. Jahidul allegedly purchased the raw material from local shops, extracted gunpowder from firecrackers, used ball bearings as pellets, and assembled the device using electrical wires, a battery circuit and a button.
The accused allegedly formed a WhatsApp group to conspire to commit the crime and share information with one another. When the police analysed the browsing history in the mobile phones of the accused, they found searches connected to the raw material and method to assemble the IED. A police team is examining the IED composition, the police said.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh told reporters that the East Division police had formed 10 special teams to crack the case. The accused were arrested within 72 hours of the blast with the assistance of Assam and Raichur police, he added.
The police analysed over 1,500 CCTV recordings and questioned around 100 people before making the arrest. Technical analysis helped the police arrest two accused in Bengaluru and another in Raichur. Singh announced a reward of Rs 3 lakh for the police team.
Top cop’s advice: Don’t lend phones to strangers
As the accused allegedly used the mobile phones of strangers to avoid suspicion, Singh urged people not to hand over their phones to strangers without verification. While many reasons are given to borrow phones, the people should verify the other person’s identity and reason before lending their devices, he cautioned.
He further said the police will audit CCTV camera coverage across the city to identify and eliminate blind spots. “Additional cameras will be installed wherever necessary.
CCTV cameras installed by commercial establishments and other entities will also be monitored under the Public Safety Act with beat police personnel ensuring compliance,” he added.
