Crude bombs, firearm recovered from pond near Bhangar blast site

Kolkata: At a time when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to take over the investigation into the Bhangar explosion that took place on the night of March 18, cops from Bijoyganj Bazar Police Station have recovered a large number of crude bombs that were discarded into a pond near the explosion site by unknown miscreants.

Along with the bombs, police have also recovered a long-range firearm from the same pond.

According to sources, over the past few days, cops from all police stations under the Bhangar Division had stepped up their patrolling activities. On Tuesday, cops from Bijoyganj Bazar Police Station were tipped off that some bomb-like objects had been spotted in a pond. Accordingly, a police team reached the spot and found 84 crude bombs lying in the mud near the bank of the pond. As the bombs were wet and had no chance of exploding, cops seized them. Later, during a search of the pond, police found a long-range firearm. Cops suspect that the miscreants might have realised that they could be caught either by the police or central forces and thus discarded the bombs and the firearm in the pond.

Meanwhile, in connection with the explosion at West Bamunia village in Chaltaberia in Bhangar, police have already arrested an ambulance driver who had carried two injured persons. One of them died in the ambulance, and his body was left beside the road in Haroa. After police recovered the body, cops from Haroa police station registered a separate case and arrested the other injured person, who is admitted to a hospital there. A few days ago, the NIA visited the explosion site and inquired into the incident. Sources informed that, as the general elections are to take place within less than a month, the NIA might take over the investigation.