Mangaluru: Blast in autorickshaw was ‘act of terror’, says DGP

Mangaluru: A terror angle has emerged in the blast that occurred in an autorickshaw at Garodi near Nagori on Saturday evening.

“It’s confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an ACT OF TERROR with intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka State Police is probing deep into it along with central agencies,” DGP Praveen Sood said in a Twitter post on Sunday.

The explosion caused a fire and heavy smoke, and the driver and a passenger were among those who sustained burn injuries. Police shared CCTV visuals showing the autorickshaw catching fire after a minor explosion in the moving rickshaw.

At around 4.30 pm, a man boarded the auto-rickshaw at Nagori and asked the driver to go towards the Pumpwell. In between, there was an explosion. Mangled remains of a cooker were found in the rickshaw. Some parts inside the autorickshaw were burnt.

Passenger suspect?

It is gathered that the passenger, who was also injured in the incident is undergoing treatment at a hospital. He reportedly gave contradictory and vague answers during police questioning.

According to sources, the passenger, who spoke only in Hindi, claimed that he had arrived from Mysuru and provided the phone number of his brother to the police. The person who picked up the call said he did not know the passenger in question, sources added.