Just after 4 p.m. on March 3, there was a buzz in the city, with many anxious residents glued to television channels running ‘breaking news’ tickers on ‘explosions’ in the city.
Very soon the tickers got modified to ‘bomb blasts’. It was only an hour later that the first facts of the case emerged: two youth had hurled bombs (initially described as country bombs) on a car near Kamarajar Arangam; both bombs did not damage the vehicle, but on impact, caused minor damage to the frontage of shops in the area.
The windshield of a car (not the target) was shattered and people who were inside showrooms and office buildings came rushing out, even as police personnel from the police station nearby reached the spot.
Two persons, suspected to be minors, were seen in CCTV camera footage riding a bike that came down from Anna flyover towards Teynampet.
The pillion rider rose from his seat and threw an explosive device at a moving car on the opposite side of road. It landed on the road and instantly thick smoke emerged at the site of the explosion. Yet again, he hurled another device, but this time it glanced off the SUV — a Fortuner. The vehicle stopped for a few seconds and sped away, taking Mayor Sundar Rao Road, a one-way stretch. The SUV is said to belong to an AIADMK functionary.
Pillion rider throws an explosive device at a vehicle on the opposite side of road. Illustration: R. Rajesh
Gaffar Khan, owner of a car showroom, said: “Suddenly, we heard a loud bang. It was not like a regular cracker or transformer. We felt a strong tremor too. Everybody ran out of the showroom and we found the front glass broken.”
Police sources said the bikers were not wearing helmets. The pillion rider threw the first bomb, suspected to be a country bomb. The target was a Fortuner moving on the opposite side. The first device landed on the road. The second bomb hit the vehicle. The vehicle stopped for a few seconds and then sped away.
The targeted car escapes the attack. The bomb lands on the road and thick smoke is seen from the explosion. Illustration: R. Rajesh
Commissioner of Police A.K.Viswanathan reached the spot and held a preliminary enquiry with police officers who were present.
“The initial investigation revealed that a Fortuner vehicle was targeted by people on a two-wheeler. Investigation is in progress. We will solve the case very soon,” he said.
Experts from the Forensic Sciences Department collected samples from the spot. Teynampet police began the investigation after scrutiny of CCTV camera footage.
Another explosive device is hurled at the moving car. The car is hit and stops briefly before driving off. Police rush to the spot. Illustration: R. Rajesh
This is the second incident of a bomb being hurled in the heart of city in the last six months. A 50-year-old woman and her son escaped after hurling a country bomb at a gang that attacked them near Casino Cinema in Chintadripet on October 10, 2019.