DRDO sr scientist held for ‘planting’ IED at Delhi court
Accused planted bomb at Rohini court to ‘kill neighbour’: Police
The Special Cell of Delhi Police has arrested a senior DRDO scientist for allegedly planting an improvised explosive device (IED) in a tiffin box with an intention to kill his neighbour in the Rohini district court here earlier this month.
The accused has been identified as Bharat Bhushan Kataria (47), a resident of Ashok Vihar Phase-1 area.
On December 9, the IED that triggered a low-intensity explosion in courtroom number 102 and had left Naib Court head constable Rajeev injured.
According to Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana, Kataria entered the court premises at 9.33 am on the day of the incident with two bags and left one of those behind inside courtroom number 102. The accused left the court premises at 10.35 am.
Mr Kataria had planted the IED in a tiffin box and left the bag containing the tiffin box inside the courtroom as he wanted to kill his neighbour, who is a lawyer, police said.
Teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the National Security Guard (NSG) had visited the site of the explosion and it was found that the materials used in making the IED were easily available in the market. The IED was not properly assembled due to which only the detonator exploded, police said.
“On December 9, around 10:25 AM, a low intensity blast occurred in Rohini court room 102, following
which a case under section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code and section 3, Explosive Substances Act, was registered,” said Rajiv Ranjan Singh, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Special Cell.
“The bag used to place the IED was tracked to a medical equipment making multinational company and its distributors were examined. The stationery shops were identified selling the kind of file cover found in the bag with the IED. The distributors of the automotive anti-theft mechanism used in the IED were identified and examined,” said the DCP.
“During investigation, more than 1,000 vehicles that entered the court complex on the day of the blast were verified. More
KATARIA HAD planted the IED in a tiffin box and left the bag containing the tiffin box inside the courtroom as he wanted to kill his neighbour, who is a lawyer
THE IED was not properly assembled due to which only the detonator exploded, police said. It had left Naib Court head constable Rajeev injured
than 100 CCTV cameras inside and outside the court complex were also checked. The CCTV footage was scanned repeatedly by multiple teams,” said the DCP. “Based on CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts, several persons present in the court complex were identified and the name of Kataria came up. His case was listed for hearing on the day of the blast. His opposite party, advocate Amit Vashistha, was seated in the row next to which the IED exploded. Vashistha also witnessed Kataria being present in court just before the blast,” said the DCP.
“During CCTV analysis it was revealed that Kataria entered the court at 9.33 AM and was dressed in black coat and trousers to appear like an advocate. He was carrying a bag in his hand and a laptop bag on back. He was seen entering and leaving through multiple gates, trying to weave an evasive pattern,” the DCP said.
“He is seen entering the court from gate number 7 and concealing the bags at a location inside the court premises and leaving from the same gate. He then entered via gate number 8 and retrieved the two bags he had concealed. He is seen in various cameras inside the main court building. He left the court in a hurry at 10:35 AM from gate number 8 with a laptop bag on his back,” said the DCP.