3 held in Assam over Bengaluru blast linked to murder plot, family dispute: Police

Three people have been arrested from Assam in connection with a blast at an under-construction building in Bengaluru’s Pulakeshinagar locality, police said, adding that the explosion was part of a murder plot linked to a family dispute. The intended target and a worker were seriously injured in the blast.

In a statement on Sunday, the Bengaluru police commissioner’s officer identified two of the accused as Bhurhan Ahmad Burbhuiyya, 20, and Jahidull Hussain Burbhuiyya, 27. The third remained unidentified.

The three were caught on Saturday after a 72-hour operation involving 10 special teams. Investigators said that the prime accused, Burbhuiyya, conspired with two childhood friends to kill his cousin Allauddin over disputes involving land, money, and the cancellation of his sister’s marriage. All four of them are from Dhinanathpur village in Assam, police said.

“Owing to enmity arising from a land dispute and financial dispute in their native village, as well as an issue concerning the cancellation of the accused’s sister’s marriage, the prime accused allegedly conspired in advance with the other two accused with the intention of murdering the injured person,” the statement said. It added that they had allegedly formed a WhatsApp group, conspired to commit the crime and shared information.

Police said that the blast on October 20 was an outcome of an experiment to make an improvised explosive device (IED) allegedly concealed inside a torch battery and left in a package at a petty shop near the under-construction building on Jeremiah Road, intending Allauddin to collect it.

“To execute the plan, the accused obtained information through online web applications, purchased raw materials locally, and manufactured an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) themselves,” the statement said.

Allauddin’s coworker, Suraj, instead opened the parcel, triggering the explosion. The police did not disclose the composition of the explosive device, the specific materials allegedly used to manufacture it, or whether all components had been recovered.

The three accused were produced in court, and police obtained custody for detailed interrogation.