Explosion rips through licensed gun shop in Nuh, five injured

Blast took place during daytime on Jogpur Road, damaging a nearby car and scattering live cartridges. Police suspect a pressurised air rifle gas cylinder.

An explosion blew up a licensed gun shop on Jogpur Road in Nuh on Monday afternoon, injuring five people, including the shop owner, police said.

Fire followed the explosion, prompting bomb disposal, forensic and dog squads to rush in. All injured were discharged after treatment at Nuh CHC. (Getty Images)

Police said the shop owner Tahir Hussain and his two employees were inside the shop when the blast occurred, while two others were standing just outside. All five sustained minor injuries and survived. Police said the blast also triggered a fire and the debris damaged a car parked almost 50 metres away from the spot.

According to investigators, the explosion took place between 12.30pm and 1pm, following which Nuh superintendent of police Rajesh Kumar along with teams from the bomb detection and disposal squad, forensic unit, dog squad, and fire department were rushed to the spot.

Police said the blast blew a large hole in one of the shop’s walls and scattered items stored inside, including hundreds of live cartridges.

Kumar said that no foul play or suspicious activity had emerged during the investigation carried out till Monday evening.

“The shop, named Satyam Gun House, also used to fix the malfunctioning non-prohibited bore weapons including air rifles of civilians. There is suspicion that the blast might have taken place during one such work in which a pressurised gas cylinder, used for air rifles, exploded,” the SP said.

“Forensic experts were carrying out sampling at the spot to ascertain what had caused the explosion. Its intensity might have been increased due to gunpowder and cartridges getting set on fire from the explosion,” he said.

The SP said the shop was authorised and its licence had been issued in the name of Tahir Hussain, a resident of Nuh city. “We are yet to ascertain the root cause of the blast. The shop owner and his two employees were inside the shop when the blast took place. They, along with two other bystanders, had sustained minor injuries,” he said.

Police said all injured persons were rushed to the community health centre in Nuh, where they were discharged after initial treatment. Investigators said the area had been cordoned off, as the shop may still contain inflammable material, including live cartridges. Fire department personnel were also kept deployed at the site as a precautionary measure.

No FIR has been registered so far as the police have, prima facie, not found any suspicious element behind the blast.