Kolkata: A 35-year-old man from Birbhum was killed and another injured on Friday evening when crude bombs they were allegedly manufacturing exploded inside an abandoned house in West Bengal’s East Burdwan district, police said.
The deceased was identified as Barkat Karikar, while the injured person, Tufan Chowdhury, is receiving treatment in a hospital.
Locals reportedly rushed out after they heard a huge explosion around 8.30 pm on Friday. “Preliminary investigation suggests that they were making bombs in an abandoned house at Rajua village in Katwa,” a police officer of Katwa police station said.
Police said that Chowdhury, who has a criminal history and was arrested multiple times in the past, had recently come out of jail. “We have arrested Chowdhury but are yet to question him as he is still in the hospital,” the officer added.
Locals have accused Chowdhury of bringing in outsiders to make crude bombs and alleged that at least four to five men, including Karikar and Chowdhury, had gathered in the house after dark.
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{{/usCountry}}“There were at least two explosions. The house was totally ripped apart. The concrete walls had collapsed and the roof, made of clay tiles, was blown off. We were scared to go near,” Husnara Bibi, a local resident, said.
Basir Ali, another local, said, “Chowdhury has a criminal past and has been in jail multiple times. He wanted to create trouble in the area.”
“Investigation is going on,” the Katwa police station officer said.