A three-member National Investigation Agency (NIA) team reached the Airfield police station in Bhubaneswar to investigate the January 27 Azadnagar blast.
The team examined the crime spot and collected details of earlier criminal cases linked to prime accused Sehenwaz Mallik, also known as Mafi.
The explosion at Sundarpada Azadnagar killed several people and left Mafi and his mother dead while undergoing treatment. NIA registered Case No. 1/2026 under the Prevention of Corruption Act and took over the probe from the Commissionerate Police.
Investigators are focusing on the use of RDX recovered from the site, its possible interstate connections, and the scale of explosives involved. Officials are questioning multiple individuals to trace how such a large quantity of RDX entered Odisha and where it might have been intended for use.
NIA is also interrogating Mafi’s girlfriend to uncover further details about his criminal links and possible terror connections. The agency suspects that the blast may have ties to organised crime and extremist networks.
