Man 'making bomb' dies in explosion

A man was killed in a blast reportedly while making bombs at a house in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh yesterday.

Identity of the victim, aged around 40, could not be known till filing this report at 10:00 last night.

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“The explosion occurred inside a room of a one-storey building around 5:30pm leaving one person dead on the spot. We suspect the person might be a member of a militant organisation,” Syed Nurul Islam, superintendent of police in Mymensingh, told The Daily Star.

The man rented a room at the house owned by one Azim Uddin at Kashar village five days ago and started living three days ago, Habirbari Union Parishad Chairman Tofail Ahmed told our Mymensingh correspondent.

Quoting locals, the UP chairman added the victim, who is said to have hailed from Kushtia, stayed there with his wife and their 10-year-old son.

Nibas Chandra Mazhi, deputy inspector general (Mymensingh range), said it was assumed during primary inspection that the person was killed while making bombs. The man was living with his wife and a child, but they went missing after the blast, he added.

“We are conducting a drive to trace the location of his wife and child,” he said, adding that police detained house owner Azim to get information about the person.

Jahirul Haque Belal, member of Ward 6, said they rushed to the building soon after the explosion and found a man's body lying on the floor. There were only a bed and a travel bag in the room, he added.

Quoting neighbours, Jahirul further said the person's wife was in the kitchen and their child was playing outside during the blast. She was said to have run away with her child, he added.

A team of bomb disposal unit from Dhaka Metropolitan Police was heading towards Bhaluka, said Nure Alam, additional superintendent of police of Mymensingh.

“We suspect there might be more explosives inside the room. We will enter the room after the bomb disposal unit checks it,” he added.