Bengaluru: Investigators are now trying to trace the origin of the crude bomb that killed a man who allegedly kidnapped his former girlfriend from Bengaluru before detonating the explosive inside a cab in Tumakuru district, bringing into focus how such devices circulate outside regulated channels.The blast occurred Saturday afternoon near Jogihalli village in Sira, where Nagendra T, 28, allegedly ended his life after attacking his former girlfriend, Ramya, during a journey to Ankola in Uttara Kannada district.Tumakuru SP Ashok KV said samples collected from the exploded vehicle and another crude bomb recovered from the roadside were sent to a forensic science laboratory for examination.“We are making efforts to ascertain where Nagendra sourced the crude bombs from,” the officer said. The investigators suspect the explosives may have been brought from Uttara Kannada. A senior police officer said crude bombs are commonly used for illegal fishing along the coast and are also used by some farmers to scare away wild animals from crops.According to police, Nagendra booked an Uber cab driven by Praveen and picked up Ramya from her rented house in Byrasandra, Jayanagar. During the journey, the duo reportedly argued over their relationship and marriage.Praveen told investigators that Nagendra pulled out a knife from his bag and attacked Ramya, forcing him to stop the Maruti Swift Dzire near a roadside dhaba. Bystanders helped rescue the woman.Ramya then warned the driver that Nagendra was carrying a bomb. On seeing the explosive in his hand, Praveen reportedly pulled Nagendra out of the vehicle, snatched the bomb and threw it away. Moments later, Nagendra lit another crude bomb inside the car, triggering the explosion that killed him.Police recorded cab driver Praveen’s statement. The kidnap case was first registered by Bengaluru’s Siddapura police under Sections 137(2) (kidnapping) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita based on a complaint filed by Ramya’s housemate, Nayana Dinakar Shetty.In her complaint, Nayana alleged that Nagendra arrived at their house around 8.45am Saturday, threatened both women with a knife and forcibly took Ramya away in the cab around 11.15am. She later informed Ramya’s sister, Archana, and approached Siddapura police at 1.20 pm.Police said they traced the vehicle using CCTV footage, regional transport office records and the cab owner’s details before contacting the driver. By then, however, Nagendra had already attacked Ramya and the fatal explosion had occurred.A senior officer said Nayana delayed approaching police because she was frightened.“If she had contacted us earlier, we could have prevented the incident,” the officer said. Investigators have also collected CCTV footage from buildings near Ramya’s residence to reconstruct the events leading to the alleged abduction.The driver, Praveen, told media on Sunday: “I had stopped to fill fuel in Kallambella, where Ramya and Nagendra used the washroom. Meanwhile, I received a call from Ankola police informing me that Nagendra had kidnapped Ramya. We continued the journey and he started attacking her. I stopped the car and sent her to a safer place on a bike of a passerby… I had pledged my wife’s gold jewellery to purchase the car, which I lost in this incident.”
