By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: Kolhapur police in Maharashtra have discovered a bomb making factory in the Lakshmi Hill near the MIDC area of the Kagal town. Police have confiscated material including gelatin sticks, remotely handled switches, remote control devices, five screw drivers, steel clips, wire-cutters, hacksaws, scissors, hammers, buzzers, door bells, six battery cells, power control equipment, energy circuit wiring, switch cord and paper pieces with diagram notes, among others. Kagal town is located close to Maharashtra-Karnataka border.
Kolhapur police also arrested four youth who are in their 20s. They have been identified as Ajinkya Manohar Bhopade(22) and Aniket Bhivaji Mali(22) from Chokak village in Hatkananagale, Nilesh Babanrao Patil (20) from Male Mudshingi, in Hatkanangale and Anil Popat Kharase (26) from Kabnur-Ichalkaranji in Hatkanangale.
An inspector associated with the Kagal police station said,”Patil and Kharase have been arrested for supplying material for bomb-making, while Bhopade and Mali have been arrested for making the bombs. Bhopade has a diploma in electronics; Mali works as a wireman. Their idea was to make bombs using their knowhow and parts available at any hardware shop. They actually made sophisticated devices, using the machinery of the electronic locking system of a luxury car for detonation”.
As of now the Kolhapur police have ruled out the possibility of the youth being terrorists or Naxalites and have indicated that arrested youths aimed to earn easy money by selling these bombs.
Police have registered an FIR in Kagal Police station u/s 120 (B) IPC, which amounts to criminal conspiracy, and sections 4 and 6 of Explosives Substances Act for making and possessing explosive substances. The arrested accused persons were immediately produced before Magistrate court in Kagal and then were remanded to police custody till April 14.
According to the Kagal police, it had received a tip-off that some persons were going to bring bombs in the MIDC area. Acting on the tip-off, a trap was laid on the Kagal town and the four accused persons were nabbed on the Saturday night. The arrested were carrying the four bombs and other explosive materials on two bikes.
Kolhapur police then called Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) team to look into the equipment brought by the accused. The bombs were diffused at an open space in Shahunagar area of Kagal town.
The police are ascertaining whether the bomb-making attempt had any connection with creating anti social events in Maharashtra during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. They are also investigating who had supplied them the explosive substances and to whom they have sold prepared bombs.
(With inputs from AurangabadTimes)