LAHAN, March 23: Eight persons were injured when an Improvised Explosive Device (IEDs) exploded targeting a jewelry shop at Lahan-6 on Friday.
Reportedly, the bomb went off in Bikash Traders (jewelry shop) at around 1 pm. The injured have been identified as the proprietor of the shop Bikash Sharada and his brother Rahul, staff Asmita Kumari Chaudhary and customers Babita Yadav of Madhupur, Siraha and her younger sister Binita Yadav, Manikadevi Ram of Surunga Municipality, Saptari, Dev Kumari Yadav of Nawarajpur Rural Municipality-3, Majhaura and her seven years old son Satish.
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Among the injured, Satish is said to be in critical condition. He has been admitted to the Lahan-based Saptarishi Hospital for treatment. Lahan was crowded on Friday as people had come there to attend the weekly fair. This place is very popular among people for buying gold jewelries.
Sikindra Yadav and his wife Devkumari had come to Lahan from Majhaura for making a gold locket for their only son Satish. He and his wife were outside the shop when the explosion took place while their son was sitting near the counter inside the shop. "There were around six or seven customers in my shop and I was busy talking to them when the bomb exploded," said proprietor of the shop Bikash Sharada.
Deputy Superintendent of police (DSP) Ganesh Chand of the Area Police Office (APO) informed Republica that a powerful 'pressure cooker bomb' was used for the explosion. According to him, the bomb was exploded through a remote. "We have expedited our search for those involved in the attack," said DSP Chand.
However, this is not the first time that a bomb has gone off in a public area in Lahan. On February 22, a pressure cooker bomb exploded in Shuva Lal General Stores based in Sahid Chowk of Lahan at around 1 pm. Anil Agarwal, the manager of the store sustained injuries. Police recovered a pamphlet of Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha(JTMM) from the incident site. But they are yet to find the culprit responsible for the attack.
Earlier, on December 22, a bomb was placed under the sofa in the working station of chief of Land Revenue Office, Siraha. Three individuals were injured in the attack. Likewise, during and after the parliamentary and provincial elections there were some cases of bomb explosions in Siraha. But the police have failed to nab the perpetrators involved in all these attacks.
Caption: Satish Kumar Yadav, 7, who was severely injured in the bomb explosion at Bikash Traders on Friday.
