NIA Takes Over Probe Into Bhubaneswar Explosion That Killed Two

Bhubaneswar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has formally taken over the investigation into the powerful explosion that occurred in the Azad Nagar area under Airfield police station limits on January 27, which claimed two lives.

A three-member NIA team visited the Airfield police station and collected key documents, including the FIR and forensic reports. The central agency had earlier written to Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh, seeking transfer of the case to examine a possible terror angle and potential links to larger criminal networks.

Investigators are also probing whether high-grade explosives, including RDX, were used in the blast.

The explosion reportedly occurred when the prime suspect, Shahnawaz Malik (26), a history-sheeter, was allegedly assembling an explosive device on the rooftop of a rented house. Malik and his mother, Lizatun Bibi, later succumbed to burn injuries, while two other individuals sustained injuries but survived.

“As per legal procedure, we are handing over all documents to the NIA,” said ACP (Zone-2) Krushna Chandra Palei.

The NIA team had earlier visited the blast site shortly after the incident in January and examined forensic evidence as well as CCTV footage as part of the preliminary investigation.