The recovery of explosive materials near a route used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent Bengaluru visit has led investigators to examine whether the materials were intended to trigger a larger security scare.
According to police officials, the materials recovered from the site raised concern because the combination of explosive substances and circuitry resembled components sometimes used in improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Senior investigators said the materials recovered from the site were incomplete and incapable of causing an immediate explosion, but the presence of circuitry, wires, and batteries together with explosive material led them to examine whether there was an attempt to fabricate some kind of IED mechanism.
The suspicious package was found near Kuppareddy Lake beside the Bhairava Mandya Uppusaru Mudde Hotel, close to the secured route for Modi’s visit to the Art of Living Foundation ashram on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
Investigators are examining whether the objective may have been to create panic or disrupt the Prime Minister’s programme rather than execute a functional blast.
