Mangaluru autorickshaw blast an 'act of terror', says Karnataka Police Chief; probe underway

The major updates pertains to Saturday's incident when an autorickshaw caught fire; the driver and a passenger had sustained burn injuries, police said.

Karnataka top cop on Sunday (November 20) said that the blast in Mangaluru was "not accidental" but an "act of terror". In a tweet, the Director General of Police (DGP) said, "It's confirmed now. The blast is not accidental but an act of terror with intention to cause serious damage."

The state police, he further added, is probing deep into it along with central agencies.

The major updates pertains to Saturday's incident when an autorickshaw caught fire; the driver and a passenger had sustained burn injuries, police said.

CCTV footage - that captured the explosion - showed plumes of smoke coming out of the autorickshaw.

Speaking to reporters, Police commissioner N Shashi Kumar said, "Around 5.15 pm, fire was spotted in an autorickshaw. The driver said that fire was spotted inside a bag carried by the passenger. The driver and the passenger suffered burn injuries. We have shifted them to a hospital."

The driver was learnt to have told police that there was a sudden fire. Following the incident, forensic teams had also reached the spot to collect samples.

Earlier in 2020, a scare was triggered at the Mangaluru International airport after which a bomb disposal squad detonated an explosive device that was found in an unattended bag by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).

The man linked to the case had later surrendered.