Police on Sunday arrested two men carrying a cash reward in connection with the blast in Gudamba’s Behta village that killed four people on August 31. The explosion, which ripped through a house, was traced to the illegal storage and manufacture of explosives, officials said.
The arrested accused were identified as Mohammad Naseem, 54, and Mohammad Yakoob alias Ghaplu, 53 — both residents of Behta. They were picked up near Scorpio Club by a Gudamba police team led by sub-inspector Hariom Patel.
Earlier, on September 5, another accused, Tinu alias Ali Ahmad, 48, was arrested and sent to judicial custody. Deputy commissioner of police (east) Shashank Singh had announced a reward of ₹25,000 for information leading to the arrest of the absconding accused.
“Investigations revealed that the accused, along with others, were engaged in the illegal manufacture and storage of explosive materials for financial gain, in violation of the Explosives Act. Large quantities of explosive substances were recovered from different locations and later neutralised by the bomb disposal squad,” Gudamba SHO Prabhatesh Kr Srivastava said.
The August 31 blast caused a house to collapse, injuring seven people and killing four, including two who died during treatment. Senior officials, including the joint commissioner of police (law and order), district magistrate, and bomb disposal teams, had inspected the site in the immediate aftermath.
Police said further investigation was underway to trace the wider network and establish whether the accused had a criminal history.