Punjab: Blast at petrol pump in Mansa, owner gets ₹5cr-ransom message

Mansa senior superintendent of police Bhagirath Meena said that an FIR has been lodged and a probe is on

An explosion was reported outside a petrol pump on Sirsa road in Mansa district late on Sunday night and hours later the pump owner got a WhatsApp message from a foreign number claiming responsibility and demanding ₹5 crore-ransom.

The police have recovered a CCTV footage in which the blast was recorded. (HT File)

The police have recovered a CCTV footage in which the blast was recorded.

Pump owner Khushwinder Singh said: “On Sunday around 1:37am, one of the pump employees informed me that an explosion took place near the drain outside the petrol pump. However, no one was injured in the incident. Later, I received a WhatsApp call from a foreign number which I did not answer and around 2am I received a message from same number claiming responsibility of the blast and demanding a ransom of ₹5 crore. They have threatened to kill me and my family if I failed to pay the amount.”

Mansa senior superintendent of police Bhagirath Meena said that an FIR has been lodged and a probe is on. “The material of the blast is yet to be identified and we don’t know if it was a grenade or not. The forensic teams are working on the spot,” Meena added.