Six teens held for making, testing explosive devices in Puducherry

PUDUCHERRY: Curiosity landed six minor boys on the wrong side of the law when they experimented with explosive devices on Sunday. The minors, all aged between 16 and 17 years, allegedly hurled two improvised explosive devices they had made, damaging a van parked on the roadside on Sunday night. Inspector Babuji said that the incident happened at Santhi nagar extension near Balaji theatre.

Among the six, there are two school students, a polytechnic student, a BA first year student and two dropouts, all hailing from Kandactorthottam. They were classmates in Class 10 in the same school. Four were taken into custody, while two escaped.

Investigation revealed that the minors had tested two explosive devices prepared with pebbles and Deepavali firecrackers. They learned to make the device by watching YouTube videos. All the six had gathered on the road on Sunday night and hurled the explosives. The first one burst without much impact, but the second exploded with a bigger impact.

On hearing the explosion, people came out and found the windscreen of a school van broken. The police suspected that the blast was an improvised explosive device as there was nothing but pebbles and firecrackers at the site. Bomb experts and a sniffer dog was brought to the scene while police scoured through the CCTV footage which revealed six boys running away within minutes of the blast from the scene. 

None of the six has any criminal background and they are sons of autorickshaw drivers, except one, said Babuji. The arrested will be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board, he added.

Man, teen arrested for making country bombs in Potheri
Chennai: Two people, including a juvenile, were arrested on Sunday for allegedly making country bombs in a rented house, posing as college students. Search is on for two others. Five country bombs, explosive materials and two mobile phones were seized. Based on a anonymous tip-off, Maraimalai Nagar police raided the house in Potheri. The four suspects fled the spot. Police managed to nab two accused identified as Praveen Kumar (23) from Vandalur, and a 16-year-old juvenile. As the men visited the house only during nighttime, the neighbours grew suspicious, said police.