Preliminary investigations indicate that a blast at an under-construction building in east Bengaluru on October 20, which injured two workers, may have been caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) disguised as a torch. The device reportedly exploded when a worker attempted to switch it on, though police are awaiting forensic results to officially confirm the nature of the device.
The incident occurred at a seven-storey building under construction in Pulakeshinagar. The two injured individuals were identified as Suraj Kumar, a 28-year-old painter from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, and Alauddin Barbhaij, a 53-year-old security guard from Dimapur in Assam. Kumar sustained severe burns and shrapnel wounds to his face, head, and chest, and lost two fingers. Barbhaij suffered a minor injury near his eye and was treated at Minto Eye Hospital.
According to reports, Barbhaij received a parcel on the building’s ground floor on the afternoon of October 20. CCTV footage reportedly showed an unidentified person delivering the package, which the guard collected. He then called Kumar, who was working on the seventh floor, to help activate a torch inside the parcel. The torch exploded in Kumar’s hands on the fifth floor when he tried to switch it on. Kumar’s younger brother, Abhi Kumar, 18, who was also working at the site, stated that they had been at the building for only two days when the incident occurred.
Investigators suspect the device contained a small quantity of explosive material and ball bearings that acted as shrapnel. Police began questioning Barbhaij on Wednesday, October 21, after his discharge from Minto Eye Hospital. Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar stated that investigators are awaiting forensic examination results to determine the nature of the device. “There is nothing to panic about at this stage. The festive season is underway, and we are very alert. We are investigating the incident and are not ruling out anything,” he said.
