Three people were injured in an explosion that occurred while making crude bombs (cocktails) allegedly for a robbery at Chhoto Italy village near Bagbari in Gabtali upazila of Bogura around 11am on Sunday.
Among the injured, one person named Selim has been taken into police custody. The incident has drawn serious attention from local police and senior officials.
According to eyewitnesses, a gang of robbers from Majhbari village in Nashipur Union under Gabtali upazila brought three to four men from Cumilla to manufacture explosives. They had reportedly been staying for several days at the house of Muktar Hossain, who is locally known to be involved in drug trading and smuggling.
This morning, while they were preparing the explosives, one of the cocktails accidentally detonated. The powerful explosion caused panic among locals, who rushed to the spot and took the injured to a nearby hospital. The blast also scattered materials inside the house.
Police from Bagbari outpost recovered various materials used for making cocktails from the scene. One of the injured, Ataur Rahman Selim, was rescued in critical condition and taken to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital under police custody. Two to three others fled the scene upon seeing the police.
Bogura Additional Superintendent of Police (Media) Ataur Hossain said, “The house belongs to drug dealer Muktar Hossain. His wife Nasima Akter (45) is currently in jail in a drug case. Several men from Cumilla had been staying at the house of a local man known as Anju Member’s nephew for the past few days.
“This morning, a cocktail exploded while they were making it. The injured man, Md. Ataur Rahman Selim (35), son of Md. Badsha Mia of Ramprosader Char village in Meghna upazila of Cumilla, is now under police custody at Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital.”
A local source said that the family living in the house where the explosion took place has long been involved in drug trafficking, highway robbery, and other criminal activities.
