A drunken quarrel over a loud mobile phone conversation ended in a fatal bomb attack between two brothers in Mahula village under Chandaka police station limits late on Tuesday night in Bhubaneswar.
One brother died on the spot, and the other was left critically injured, police said on Wednesday.
Chandaka police registered a case (No. 465) under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita read with Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act. The case was registered on the written complaint of Jagan Padhi, who happens to be his brother.
According to the police, Mohan Padhi and Madan Padhi were intoxicated at around 8 pm on 15 September. Madan was speaking loudly on his mobile phone inside the house. Mohan objected. The argument quickly escalated.
Police said Mohan first brought out a handmade bomb from inside the house and threw it at Madan. The blast severely damaged Madan’s right palm and nearly severed it. In retaliation, Madan threw two bombs at Mohan. The devices struck Mohan’s head, and he died at the scene.
Madan, 24, and a resident of Mahula under Chandaka police station in Bhubaneswar UPD, Khordha district, has been named as the accused. He was first taken to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar and later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Kataka for advanced treatment.
Residents told police the family kept the bombs at home to scare away wild animals. A search of the house, however, did not recover any bomb-making materials.
Senior officers and a scientific team examined the spot and collected remnants of handmade explosive materials for forensic examination. Police said they are also probing how such powerful devices reached the house and the family’s past involvement in country liquor trade.
Police are deployed to maintain order during and after the cremation, and the investigation continues.
