Dismissed ex-cop identified as suspected bomber in Ludhiana court blast
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The explosion was so powerful that it damaged a wall of the bathroom resulting in serious injuries to several people present inside.
Chandigarh: The preliminary investigation into the Thursday's bomb blast in Ludhiana's court has identified a dismissed ex-cop as the suspect. The bomber had died in the incident, which also left six people injured.
The suspect was identified as Gagandeep Singh alias Gaggi, of Mohalla Guru Teg Bahadur, Lalheri road of Khanna, a former policeman who was dismissed from service in 2019 after being arrested in a drug peddling case by the Ludhiana unit of the state's Special Task Force (STF). He was posted as a head constable at a police station in Khanna at the time of his dismissal. He was released in September.
As per sources, the SIM card and a wireless dongle helped identify him and the family too have confirmed that the body was of Singh's.
The blast inside Ludhiana court premises occurred at 12.22 pm on Thursday in a washroom on the second floor of the court building, which is right next to the district administrative complex and has a daily footfall of over 25,000 people.
The blast occurred on a day when advocates were on strike and the footfall was relatively low.
Meanwhile, the disclosure of the identity of the suspect has bolstered Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi's statement that there appeared to be no evidence of the involvement of Pakistani agencies or Khalistani groups in the blast, and instead have ties to the drugs case in which ex-minister Bikram Majithia has been named.
"It is a possibility. The blast happened in Ludhiana when the hearing in the Majithia case was taking place in Mohali. There is a possibility of a link that needs to be probed," the Chief Minister said, adding that the six others injured in the blast are now out of danger.
At the court hearing in Mohali, Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia was seeking advance bail after having been named in a case for allegedly allowing drug smuggling through the use of his property or conveyance, financing the distribution or sale of drugs and criminal conspiracy for smuggling narcotics.