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Mehrauli blast linked to mysterious blasts at year’s beginning

NEW DELHI: The “low-intensity” crude bomb that was used to trigger the blast at the Mehrauli market on Saturday in all likelihood worked on a chemical-detonation mechanism. Based on preliminary findings, the police suspect that it might be linked to some mysterious blasts reported from different parts of South Delhi earlier this year.

Eyewitnesses told the police that fumes emanated from the polythene bag containing the tiffin-box bomb that was dropped by two motorcycle-borne men in the middle of the road. The bomb exploded seconds after Santosh, whose family runs an egg-stall in the area, picked it up. A deafening explosion was followed by a thick cloud of smoke. The blast created a small crater on the road.

The victims sustained shrapnel injuries in their bodies. The police found iron nails from the spot revealing that they were used as splinters. According to experts, such bombs are configured using various combinations of chemicals like potassium chlorate, ammonium nitrate, urea, nitro-glycerin, sulphur and sugar. The fact that fumes were emanating from the bomb indicate that some acid was used to cause the explosion in Mehrauli.

In South Delhi, three incidents of “low-intensity” blasts were reported earlier this year that bear similarity with the Mehrauli blast. The first blast took place near IIT Delhi on January 16. Another such blast was reported at Aurobindo Marg-Lado Sarai T-point on January 21.

The third took place at Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road-Mehrauli-Badarpur Road T-point traffic signal on May 7. Three vehicles were riddled with nails.

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