Kolkata: A powerful explosion ripped through the ground floor of a four-storey residential building in Narayanpur near Kolkata airport on Friday evening after a crude bomb exploded.Police later recovered two more bombs from a room in the building. Preliminary investigation revealed that Md Shamim, a criminal from Sodepur, had rented the apartment two days earlier. Shamim was arrested on Saturday evening.The 8 pm blast at the house in Supari Bagan injured one person and triggered a multi-agency investigation.The National Investigation Agency, Bengal STF and bomb squad joined the probe. As the narrow approach road prevented the movement of specialised bomb disposal vehicles, the explosives were transported to New Town, where they were safely defused. The officials visited the site, collected forensic samples and examined the blast scene.Police said the four-storeyed building belongs to Zulfikkar Ansari, who lives on the fourth floor with his family while the lower floors are rented out. Ansari told police that a local property broker, Shahenshah, introduced him to Shamim, who wanted to rent a room.According to Ansari, they had said they would use the room occasionally. However, the explosion occurred before they could occupy the premises. “The room was completely gutted, furniture was destroyed and the walls were blackened,” the owner claimed. The blast injured Mohammad Sajid, a tenant staying in an adjacent room.“My husband suffered a head injury. Thankfully our two small children were away at the time. Had they been inside, the consequences could have been far worse. Police have assured us that those responsible will be punished,” said his wife, Sahida Begum.Police questioned Ansari, broker Shahenshah and the two minors for several hours between Friday and Saturday before arresting Shamim from a Kamarhati hideout. Meanwhile, this led to political blamegame.
