NEW DELHI: Officers of the National Investigative Agency (NIA) have begun their probe into the four coordinated blasts that enveloped a Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation at Kalamassery convention centre in Kerala on Sunday.
NIA officials from Kerala illustrated that the blasts had been triggered by two Improvised Explosive Devices that had been placed inside “tiffin boxes”. Some sources have even attributed it to the IEDs being placed inside bags.
According to recent reports, an elderly woman has died of burns, while another 52 have been reported to have been injured.
BIG BREAKING: #Kerala Police are under the impression that the #Keralablasts were premeditated owing to the fact that the Jehovah’s Witnesses had entered the prayer hall at 9:20 AM, while the first blast occurred at 9:30 AM on Sunday.
Reports @Viveknarayan805 pic.twitter.com/I3xYNf8s9E
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) October 29, 2023
The Christian evangelical sect had around 2,000-2,500 people attending the prayer meet, in support of Israel, protesting against the violence perpetuated by Hamas militants. According to a The New Indian Express report, bomb squads of Kochi police and State Special Branch had inspected the area and found traces of explosives that were meant to cause dual explosions.
Police and NIA officers are examining the CCTV cameras in and around the Zamrah International Convention Centre area to get information about the perpetrators involved in the incident.
A particular CCTV footage has directed towards a particular suspicious car that had been seen at the scene of the crime a few minutes prior to the Witnesses congregating inside the hall. This has led a few to believe that the perpetrators are a part of the pro-Palestine rally that had taken place in Malappuram under the presence of former Hamas chief, Khaled Mashal.
BIG BREAKING: The Kerala state police chief has sounded high alert across the state after the blasts killed a woman, while injuring over 30 at a Jehovah’s Witness convention centre at Kalamassery in Kochi.
Police is probing a terror angle. A total of 36 people including children…— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) October 29, 2023
As of now, of the 52 injured, 11 have been admitted to ICUs, while six remain critical.
Initially, the Kerala State Police DGP Dr Sheikh Darvesh Sahib had also pointed at an IED being used in the blasts. “Preliminary investigation points to IED device as probe unfolds,” said Sahib.
Additionally, the National Security Guard (NSG) has rushed one of its bomb disposal units from Delhi to Kerala to collect and inquire about the materials used in the explosion. Detailed inspection by the forensic team, fingerprint experts, fire force and the bomb squad is currently in progress.