BENGALURU: Even as the Mangaluru police stepped up their investigation a day after an explosive device was found at the Mangaluru International Airport (MIA), teams of Special Protection Group (SPG) and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Tuesday visited the airport and Kenjar, the place where the explosive was detonated. They also collected details from the airport authorities and the local police regarding the incident.
The Mangaluru police also grilled several suspects, including the auto driver who dropped off the suspect to the airport and had ferried him back on Monday. They have also reportedly identified the man who had left behind the bag containing the explosive near the airport ticket counter.
Sources said the police are verifying the antecedents of the man who is believed to be from Manipal. "He reportedly hails from Manipal and the police are verifying his identity," said the source.
"The autorickshaw driver is said to have told the police that he was not familiar with the passenger or his activities," the source added. Meanwhile, the three special police teams, formed by Mangaluru city police, visited several places in the region looking for suspects and to establish the motive behind the incident.
Police Commissioner PS Harsha maintained that the teams have so far made ‘enough progress’ in the investigation and said several suspects were questioned. “Interrogation of the autorickshaw driver is under way and police teams visited several places in search of the accused,” he said.
Who is Aditya Rao?
Looks like this man, Aditya Krishnamurthy Rao, has refused to come to terms with his fate and continued to seek revenge.
After being arrested in 2018 for series of bomb hoax calls to Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport and the Krantivira Sangilli Rayanna (KSR) city railway station, for not securing a job of a security personnel at the airport, atleast thrice, he seems to have continued with his anger and this time he actually placed a bomb.
A senior police officer said that 37-year-old is a habitual offender who made calls as an act of revenge and the face of the accused who allegedly placed the bag at the Mangaluru airport matches his description.
According to a senior police officer Aditya who has reportedly completed BE Mechanical and MBA course from the University of Mysore was a native of Manipal and was not seen in his hometown for sometime now.
Police claim that Aditya’s mother has passed away and his father Krishnamurthy lives in Mangaluru. They are yet to track him down. "Based on the description given by the auto driver and previous history we have zeroed in on this man Aditya. We will track him down soon," said an officer.