Three arrested for planting IED near school to threaten builder

Pic/Twitter Navi Mumbai Police

On Wednesday, the Navi Mumbai police arrested three men for allegedly planting an improvised explosive device (IED) near the New Sudhagad School at Kalamboli. The three arrested accused were identified as Manish Bhagat (45), Deepak Dandekar (55) and Sushil Sathe (35). The arrested trio confessed to the crime and revealed that they had planned to threaten and extort money from a Kalamboli-based builder.

According to the Navi Mumbai police, the motive of the trio was to threaten and extort money from a Navi Mumbai based builder in Kalamboli, for which they had placed the bomb near his house. Navi Mumbai Commissioner of Police, Sanjay Kumar said, that the trio did not belong to any terrorist group and ruled out the terror angle in this case.

Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar said, "Bhagat was undergoing treatment at a Pune-based hospital for a critical ailment for which he had to take injections worth Rs 12 lakh every month, which he was unable to afford. Dandekar was recently fined Rs 25 lakh by a court in connection with a cheque bounce case and was asked to deposit the money at the earliest. Since Dandekar's father was working as stone-crusher hr had the licence to do the blast and therefore Dandekar knew the process of making a bomb. While Sathe became their friend recently. They decided to use it to their advantage and extort money from a renowned builder."

The police said that Dandekar and Bhagat, both residents of Navi Mumbai, were friends for a long time. The duo met Sathe, an estate agent during their visit to Pune. Three months ago, the trio rented a flat in Panvel where they built an explosive device using ammonium nitrate powder and gelatin sticks, which they used for blasting quarries. In the meanwhile, the trio hunted for a builder, who was financially stable enough to pay extortion amount of Rs 2 crore.

"The accused men had planned to make a small explosion near the builder's house and threatened to harm his family if he doesn't pay the money. Accordingly, on June 17, Sathe placed the bomb near the builder's house, which happens to be near Sudhagad High School. Since Sathe had no idea of the bomb-making procedure, he couldn't connect the wires which would have exploded the bomb at 10.30 am on that day," said Tushar Doshi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime).

The arrested trio has been booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for mischief by fire or explosive substance (section 435), mischief committed after preparation made for causing death or hurt (section 440), negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter (section 285), negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance (section 286) and relevant sections of the Explosive Substances Act. Police also seized a motorbike, laptop and mobile phone which were allegedly used in the crime.

After the watchman of Sudhagad School in Kalamboli spotted the explosive device placed on a handcart outside the school, he immediately informed the police. The explosives had a timer and were supposed to go off around 10.30 pm, but it did not explode due to some fault. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) team and the Anti-Terrorism Squad quickly reached the spot and diffused the bomb.

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