Deputy Inspector General of Police Upendra Kanta Aryal, who headed the four-member probe team investigating into the blast, said the arrested include the one who planted the bomb. “Three of the arrested were involved in selecting a safe area to plant the bomb and three others to make the bomb,” he said at a press conference at Metropolitan Police Commissioner´s Office, Ranipokhari on Sunday. [break]
Preliminary investigation has revealed that Prem Tamang aka Pritam, 28, a central committee member of United Ethnic Liberation Front Nepal (UELFN), Suresh Lama, 20, an employee at Babita Baas Garment, Shantinagar, and Sagar Lama aka Ramesh, 20, a central committee member of UELEF, had selected the main entrance of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) at Babarmahal to plant the bomb.
Likewise, Bhim Bahadur Tamang alias Bishwadip, 35, a central member of UELFN, Nima Dorje alias Abiskar Tamang, 30, who works as discipline in-charge at Alliance Academy and Buddhi Bahadur Gole, 60, an employee at Babita Baas Garment, were involved in making the bomb. While all three who were involved in making the bomb were arrested from New Bus Park Saturday, those involved in planting the bomb from Sinamangal on Saturday and Sunday.
However, the alleged mastermind of the blast, Dev Raj Lama aka Bishwa Kranti, is still at large.
The arrested have confessed to police that they planted the bomb at 12:30 pm -- 41 minutes before the explosion -- by keeping the bomb in a bag made of rexin and covering it with another plastic bag. A time device that was made at the rented apartment of Gole at Sinamangal was then set.
Prem Tamang is found to have carried the bomb to Babarmahal in a motorcycle. Two others -- Suresh Lana and Buddhi Gole, who were tasked with surveillance of the place -- had helped him plant the bomb at the main entrance of NOC.
Police investigation has shown UELFN members had threatened businessmen and industrialists over telephone saying they would detonate another bomb apparently for extortion. “The group seems to have carried out the explosion to draw the attention of the authorities to rise in fuel prices,” DIG Aryal further said.
Police have confiscated 10 sets of highly explosive gelignite, one pressure cooker, pieces of GI pipes, wires and concept papers of UELFN from the arrested persons. Police suspect that the arrested could have been making plans to carry out explosions in other places as well.
Three persons -- Krishna Bahadur Tamang, 34, Man Bahadur Tamang, 70, and Bir Bahadur Lama, 65, of Baireni VDC, Dhading -- were killed in the explosion. Preliminary investigation has shown that there was no involvement of the deceased or injured in the blast.
Police have found that the arrested were involved in extortion in the name of UELFN. “The group does not have any political motive. Their activities have shown that the bomb explosion was carried out to spread terror,” said Aryal. “The bomb explosion at Babarmahal seems to have been carried out in a show of strength.”
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