Berhampur: Just a day after at least eight persons were critically injured following a bomb attack in a group clash between villagers at Tatadapali under Golanthara police limits in Ganjam district, another bomb attack was reported from Lanjipali Durga temple under Baidyanathpur police limits here Sunday in which at least five persons were injured.
The injured persons were rescued and admitted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur. Among the injured, two persons — Sushant Bisoi and Prabhat Patra — were in critical condition. The other injured persons were Rajesh Bisoyi, Gobind Nayak and car driver Gopi.
While the motive behind the attack was not clear, police suspected it was fallout of some previous enmity. On receipt of information, police along with a forensic team reached the spot and launched a probe.
According to sources, some miscreants, wearing masks, came on motorbikes and intercepted the vehicle in which the five persons, including the car driver, were passing by the temple. Before Susant and his friends could understand anything, the miscreants hurled three bombs at the car and fled.
The intensity of the bombs was so high that the car glass panes broke, injuring all those inside the vehicle. Hearing the explosion, locals tried to nab the miscreants but in vain as they sped away on the bikes.
The forensic team seized three crude bombs from the spot. It may be noted that Susant Bisoyi and his aides were the main conspirators in the sensational murder of Chicken Rabi. They are now on bail. So, police suspect it is fallout of previous enmity with the supporters of Rabi.
Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Prabhat Chandra Routray said the vehicle was seized and the CCTV footage had been collected. No one has been arrested as of yet.
The repeat bomb attacks have spread panic among the locals as criminal activities have been increasing in the city, throwing a fresh challenge to the police. Meanwhile, the locals feared that a major incident might occur in the near future as Susant was also a hardcore criminal and his supporters would not stay calm after the incident.
Suspecting further violence, a police platoon was deployed in the area while steps were taken to install more CCTV cameras, the SDPO said.
PNN