KOCHI: Blasts that killed two women and left around 50 injured were caused by multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Bomb squads of Kochi city police and state special branch that inspected the spot found traces of explosives used for the blasts that occurred at multiple places of the convention centre in Kalamassery.
Later, Dominic Martin, a resident of Thammanam, who surrendered before the police around 1 pm, admitted that it was he who planted IEDs at the convention centre and triggered the blast using a remote control device. To ensure the spreading of fire after the blast, he placed bottles of petrol near the IEDs kept in tiffin boxes.
Dominic told police that his intention was to scare the organisers of the event and office-bearers of Jehovah’s Witnesses community. Martin, who claimed to be a member of the same community, said that he conducted the blasts to express his resentment over the beliefs and practices of the Christian congregation.
Police received photographs of the IEDs and remote control device from a mobile phone of Martin that was handed over to the investigators. Martin told police that he learnt to make IEDs from videos available on the Internet. Police also checked his house in Thammanam and found evidence corroborating his claim.
“The traces of explosives from the blast site revealed that the miscreant did not aim to inflict huge casualties. The explosives used for the blasts were those used in high-intensity fireworks. Parts of the battery and electric circuit recovered from the site also point to the use of IEDs. We suspect that at least two IEDs kept in tiffin boxes were used. But, witnesses claimed that they heard three explosions,” an officer with the Bomb Squad of Kerala Police said.
Meanwhile, officers of NIA Kochi unit evaluated the situation and started an investigation in coordination with the state police.