NSG finds ‘high explosives’ at Ludhiana explosion site

NEW DELHI: A preliminary analysis of the Ludhiana court blast site by an NSG bomb squad and forensic experts has revealed that the bomb contained a “high explosive” and was possibly being assembled by the person who died when the bomb accidentally went off inside the toilet.
Sources said the nature of injuries to the deceased point to the possibility of him being the fabricator of the improvised explosive device. Aluminium and plastic shrapnels were found in his body, confirming an intention to cause maximum injuries in the blast.
Investigators suspect that the bomb was being assembled in the toilet and the intention was possibly to plant it at another spot with higher footfall. Though the explosive compound could not be detected upon physical examination as the traces were swept away when the water pipe in the toilet burst due to impact of the blast, sources said forensic samples shall confirm the exact composition of the IED.
“It appears to be a high explosive,” an official said while not ruling out the presence of the RDX.
Some persons other than the dead victim and suspected bomber have been caught on CCTV installed inside the premises. Their possible role in the blast is being established. Investigators have also recovered a mobile phone at the blast site, which incidentally has its SIM card and data card intact. One person had died and six others injured on the incident on Thursday when a bomb exploded near the washroom of the district court in Ludhiana, Punjab.