Chandigarh:
A former policeman who was suspected to be the bomber in a court complex explosion in Punjab’s Ludhiana wanted to scare judges and lawyers as he was facing a drugs case, the police said today.
The suspect, Gagandeep Singh, was killed in the blast. A head constable, he was dismissed from service in 2019 and spent two years in jail following his arrest in a drug-trafficking case. He was released in September.
Gagandeep Singh was scheduled to appear in court in the drugs case filed against him, Punjab DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya told reporters today. He made a plan to scare the judiciary, the police said.
The former head constable was assembling the bomb in a court bathroom when it went off, Mr Chattopadhyaya, adding it is not yet known from where he got the material to make the improvised explosive device, or IED.
The blast caused a water pipe to burst, which washed away some residual explosives that could have come in handy as vital clues, The Indian Express reported.
Two friends of Gagandeep Singh and his brother have been detained for questioning by the police. A laptop has been seized from his house.
