Pune:
The man who was arrested for planting a “bomb-like device” near a Pune hospital was suffering from an ailment and wanted to extort money for his treatment, officials said on Friday.
Shivaji Rathod, a native of Solapur who was arrested by the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) at the Nagpur Railway Station on Friday, needed Rs 7 lakh to fund his treatment but lacked the same. That led him to devise a plan – make a bomb, plant it near the hospital, issue threats, and then extort money to receive treatment at the same hospital.
While his plan led to a 1,000-personnel manhunt, an online payment for a roll of adhesive tape became the reason behind Rathod’s arrest.
Rathod ran out of adhesive tape while assembling the device. He purchased a replacement roll from a nearby shop and made the payment online. This digital transaction enabled police to track his location and ultimately catch him.
The “bomb” with a seven-hour timer was found outside a hospital in the Kamdhenu Estate area of Pune’s Hadapsar on Wednesday, causing panic in the vicinity.
Rs 400 ‘Bomb’ Leads To Rs 4 Lakh Manhunt
Following the recovery of the bomb, police launched an intensive manhunt for the accused with a team of nearly 1,000 police personnel and senior officials who were deployed across Maharashtra. The entire search operation came at a cost of over Rs 4 lakh.
In contrast, Rathod constructed his “bomb” at a cost of Rs 400 and ordered the timer clock online.
The device consisted of a digital clock, four pipes, adhesive tapes, and two wires. No explosives were found in the device. Police have recovered the courier package of the timer.
However, police have recovered two kilograms of cannabis from the accused’s residence, which is being investigated as a separate case.
Accused Planned To Flee To Nepal
Officials said that Rathod wanted to flee to Nepal, where his sister lives. He planned to take a train from Nagpur to Howrah, and then escape the country.
According to officials, Rathod told his sister that he was coming to stay with her for a few days due to the intense heatwave in India.
However, he was arrested by the ATS at the Nagpur Railway Station before he could catch the train.
(With inputs from Ajinkya Patil)