Pulikeshi Nagar blast: Personal grudge, YouTube videos, WhatsApp group and an IED

Police personnel at the under-construction building on Jeremiah Road in east Bengaluru, where an IED blast was triggered on Tuesday.

Zahidul Hussain Barbhuiya, 27, a salesman at a bakery in Jayanagar, Bengaluru, and the nephew of Allauddin, one of the persons injured in the IED blast in Pulikeshi Nagar on October 20, has emerged as the kingpin in the case.

Zahidul was related to Allauddin and allegedly harboured resentment towards him over property and financial disputes in their native village. The police also cited a personal dispute concerning the cancellation of Zahidul’s sister’s marriage as a possible motive.

Investigators alleged that Zahidul conspired with his childhood friends, Burhan Ahmed Barbhuiya, 21, who worked as a welder in Maski, Raichur district, and Sajidul Islam Laskar, 22, who worked at a hotel in Bengaluru, to carry out the attack. All three are natives of Dinanathpur village in Assam’s Hailakandi district.

Zahidul formed a WhatsApp group and coordinated their activities before the explosion. Burhan, who was working in Maski, allegedly assembled the IED after gathering information online and procuring materials locally. Sajidul allegedly assisted in executing the plan and provided shelter to Burhan, according to the police. The investigation is continuing to establish the precise role of each accused and the full sequence of events.

The police apprehended Zahidul and Sajidul in Bengaluru, while Burhan was arrested in Maski, Raichur district.

Police reviewed footage from over 1,500 CCTV cameras in the area of the incident for leads to crack the case. “During the investigation, we found that several CCTV cameras installed by government departments, shops and commercial establishments were not functioning. We will conduct an audit of CCTV cameras and consider invoking relevant public-safety provisions to ensure that cameras installed at commercial establishments remain operational,” Bengaluru City Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh said.