3 Haryana blasts possible dry run for terror strike: NIA

The agency has submitted its report to the Haryana police on the blast that took place inside a bus near Pipli on May 26 which bore “striking similarity” to the explosions that occurred on January 16 and May 13.

The explosion on a passenger bus near Pipli had left eight people injured. The vehicle was on its way from Sonepat to Chandigarh.

On January 16, a bomb blast had taken place on a passenger train at the Panipat railway station. The explosive material was planted in a compartment next to the engine, but there were no casualties.

On May 13, an explosion had rocked an EMU train, which had reached Panipat from Delhi and had been moved to the yard. No casualty was reported.

The NIA has said in its report that Ammonium Nitrate and Potassium Chlorate was used in all three explosive devices, which were attached to a clock with a 12 volt battery as a triggering mechanism.

The bomber, it said, seemed to be improvising on the explosive devices as in the January blast a cardboard box was used to pack the material, followed by a plastic box in the May 13 incident and now an aluminium box, sources said. 

Normal adhesive tapes were used in packing the explosive material in the first two bombs but in the latest blast the bomber had used surgical tapes.