Date:09/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/09/stories/2008080958580300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Blast creates panic in Moodalapalya

Staff Reporter

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

ANOTHER SCARE: The scene of the blast site on Nagarbhavi Main Road in Bangalore on Friday.

BANGALORE: Panic gripped the residents of Moodalapalya, off Vijayanagar, for a while following a blast on Friday. The bomb detection squad and forensic experts came to the spot and found it to be a blast caused by a cracker.

Around noon the residents of area had a scare hearing a big sound. “I thought it to be a result of a transformer blast. I ran inside the house and found no disconnection in power supply,” said R. Srinivasa, an elderly resident of the area. Similar was what many felt. “I could hear it standing near the Nagarabhavi Circle,” said S. Farooq, a private company employee, who was waiting for a bus.

Then, the residents called the police who rushed to the spot with a team of experts. A large crowd gathered as the bomb detection squad and a team of personnel from the Forensic Science Laboratory went about collecting remnants of the blast.

Senior police officials, including Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) M.R. Pujar and Deputy Inspector General of Police (Security) K.L. Sudheer, visited the spot.

Mr. Pujar told reporters that the preliminary investigation showed the blast to have resulted from a cracker.