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Hand bag check reveals grenade, hotel supplier held in Bengaluru: Police
During interrogation, the accused reportedly claimed that he had found the grenade on the road and kept it in his bag
A 23-year-old hotel supplier, Abdul Rehman, was arrested on Friday after hotel staff discovered a hand grenade inside his bag of during a routine verification check at a hotel in the Sampigehalli region of Bengaluru urban district, police said.
Rehman, a resident of Bellahalli, had recently started working at the hotel. When staff requested his Aadhaar card for verification, he failed to provide it even after two days, police said.Suspicious, the hotel employees inspected his bag, which was kept in a shed where he was staying and found a grenade inside, police added.
Sampigehalli police confirmed the presence of the explosive and took Rehman into custody for questioning. During interrogation, he reportedly claimed that he had found the grenade on the road and kept it in his bag.
The police registered a first information report (FIR) while an investigation was launched to probe the origins of the explosive, Rehman’s intentions, and whether he had any connections to criminal activities.
“We have arrested him under the Explosives Act,” Sampigehalli police inspector Chandra Shekar told HT.“He was previously working as a carpenter’s helper before joining the hotel on Wednesday. He claims he picked up the grenade while walking and kept it in his bag. We are investigating further,” he added.
East Division Joint Commissioner of Police Ramesh Banoth, addressing reporters, provided details about the explosive. “The recovered hand grenade resembled a tennis ball and contained chemicals with two attached fuses. It has been safely disposed of, and chemical samples have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for analysis,” he said. He further noted that Rehman did not own a mobile phone and had no prior criminal record.
