Raipur: A 20-year-old electrician from Chhattisgarh, obsessed with a woman, prepared an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), packed it neatly, and sent it to her husband.
Vinay Verma learnt the ‘art’ of bomb-making from the internet, the police have come to know. His mobile phone’s Google search history included “how to kill a person using a bomb without being caught by police.”
Verma was apparently obsessed with the woman since their college days. It was a one-sided affair from the start, but he would not accept it. He started planning to kill her husband after the woman got married recently.
The conspiracy came to light when a suspicious parcel, neatly gift-wrapped and bearing a fake India Post logo, was delivered to a shop in Manpur village under the Gandai police station limits. The parcel was addressed to village resident Afsar Khan, the intended target. Finding it suspicious, Khan promptly alerted the police.
A bomb disposal team then examined the package and found a 2-kg IED concealed inside a brand-new speaker. Technical analysis showed the IED was designed to detonate upon being plugged into a power source. The current would reach a detonator connected to the speaker’s wiring, triggering the explosion.
Verma knew all about speakers and he assembled the IED using online tutorials, designing it to detonate upon being plugged in. Gelatin sticks were used as the primary explosive, and the speaker’s outer casing would act as deadly shrapnel upon detonation.
“He procured the speaker and assembled the IED using online tutorials. His mobile phone’s Google search history included “how to kill a person using a bomb without being caught by police”, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district SP Lakshya Sharma said.
Investigation revealed that the gelatin sticks were pilfered from a stone quarry in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district. Durg resident Parmeshwar allegedly paid Rs 6,000 to procure the explosives from Gopal and Dilip. Ghasiram delivered the explosives, while Khilesh is accused of preparing the fake India Post logo used on the parcel, an official said.
Verma, with the help of Gopal, eventually delivered the explosive-laden gift to Khan’s shop. Subsequent raids at the premises of Gopal and Dilip in Durg led to the seizure of 60 gelatin sticks and two detonators.
The explosives had been illegally diverted from a quarry in the Patharia area and the person in charge will also be questioned, the SP added.
“This action not only thwarted a planned murder but also exposed a network of illegal explosive supply in the region,” Sharma stated.
The others arrested in this case have been identified as Parmeshwar Verma (25), Gopal Verma (22), Ghasiram Verma (46), Dilip Dhimar (38), Gopal Khelwar and Khilesh Verma (19).
