Shillong, March 10: East Khasi Hills Police has announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anyone giving credible information that leads to the arrest of any person involved in the blast at Harijan Colony on Saturday night
In a statement issued on Sunday, the East Khasi Hills SP Rituraj Ravi said the identity of the informant will be kept confidential.
“The information can be conveyed to the Special Cell through Call/Text/WhatsApp on phone number 9366790273 or through email on specialcell.ekh.mlp@gmail.com”, the SP added.
The SP also warned that heinous act constitutes a terrorist act punishable under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act, and the individuals responsible for the blast have committed a grave offence tantamount to waging war against the state.
On Saturday, around 10:30 pm, a crude Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was detonated in an uninhabited and abandoned CGI sheet structure at Syndicate Bus Stand, Harijan Colony, Mawlonghat.
According to the police, the IED was placed inside a metal container. The blast, suspected to have been caused by gelatin sticks, was confined to the CGI sheet structure while causing damages to the glass windows of the adjacent buildings. “One passerby who was later identified as Lakhan Singh sustained minor injuries on his leg due to splinters generated by the blast”, the police said.
The SP pointed out that the Modus Operandi (MO) employed in the blast bears close resemblance to the blasts that occurred in the past in the region for which the banned unlawful association HNLC had claimed responsibility.
“However, till the time of issuing this press release no organisation or outfit has claimed responsibility for the blast”, the SP added.
Police said in this connection, a suo-motu FIR is being registered at Sadar PS for further investigation into the matter under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Explosive Substances Act.
“East Khasi Hills Police is fully committed to investigating this matter meticulously to apprehend those responsible and bring those involved to justice. In this regard, we seek cooperation from the general public in ensuring the success of these efforts”, the SP added.
