11 schoolboys held, 24 detained for UP bomb blasts

LUCKNOW:  Prayagraj police have arrested 11 students and detained 24 others since Tuesday in connection with a series of crude bomb blasts in the city in the last three months. Of the total 35 boys taken into custody so far, 27 are minors and rest eight are above 18 years of age and have completed their Class 12th.

Of the 11 students arrested on Tuesday, 10, being minors, were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board and sent to a juvenile home. The 11th accused, who is 18, was produced before a local court, which sent him to jail, said a police officer.

A probe into at least six low-intensity bomb blasts since May led the police to unravel a turf war among the students of at least three reputed convent schools. The first bombing took place in May in  Civil Lines area. Similar incidents were reported on July 4, 15, 16, 22 and 25 outside some schools.

The students, who are all from well-off families, are said to be members of ‘gangs’ formed through social media, which has names like Tandav, Jaguar, Tiger, Immortal, Rangbaz and Maya. “They were in a race to prove their supremacy in their ‘areas’. Hurling bombs at the gate of rival schools was their way of doing so,” said Rakesh Singh, IGP, Prayagraj Range.

According to sources, these students formed the groups when schools were functioning online during the pandemic. “They also used to indulge in physical fights, and glamourise the incidents on social media,” said Shailesh Pandey, SSP, Prayagraj.

The students used to procure material from local market to make crude bombs, which they learnt by watching videos online. The police has prepared a list of students whose role has been established. The list will be handed over to the respective schools.