MANGALURU AUTORICKSHAW BLAST AN ‘ACT OF TERROR’: K’TAKA POLICE CHIEF

BENGALURU: The autorickshaw blast in Karnataka’s Mangaluru on Saturday was not accidental but an ‘act of terror’ with the intention to cause serious damage, state police chief Praveen Sood said on Sunday.

“It’s confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an act of terror with the intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka police is probing deep into it along with central agencies,” the director general of police (DGP) wrote on Twitter.

On Saturday, an autorickshaw caught fire in Mangaluru city due to which the driver and a passenger sustained burn injuries, police said.

CCTV visuals from the location showed the autorickshaw catching fire after an explosion. The autorickshaw driver and a passenger suffered burn injuries following the incident.

According to city police commissioner N Shashi Kumar, a bag carried by the passenger, caught fire on the way towards Pumpwell. The passenger boarded at Nagori.

“The driver said that fire was spotted inside a bag carried by the passenger. The driver and the passenger suffered burn injuries. We have shifted them to a hospital,” Kumar said.

Meanwhile, Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra on Sunday said that various reports suggest terror organisations’ link with the blast.

“A probe is on to get all the details into the matter,” he added further.