Nepal Police made six persons public in connection with the Babarmahal explosion that had killed three and injured seven persons. Bhim Bahadur Tamang, Nima Dorje Tamang, Budhhi Bahadur Gole, Prem Tamang, Sagar Lama, and Suresh Lama were made public in a press meet organised at the Office of Metropolitan Police Commissioner in the capital on Sunday.
Investigation squad led by DIG Upendra Kanta Aryal, head of the Central Investigation Bureau, apprehended them from different places of Kathmandu valley last week while the main accused in the case and the mastermind of the plot Debraj Lama is still at large.
Although the police claims that the accused have confessed their involvement in the crime, Sagar Lama pleaded innocence to the press. “I am associated with UELF but I don’t know anything about these items found in my place,” Lama said before he was taken away.
According to Aryal, United Ethnic Liberation Front, an underground outfit carried out the blast. UELF cadres have been involved in various extortion cases. “We came to know that they were planning successive attack,” he said but did not elaborate about the plan.
Preliminary investigation has concluded that the intention behind the explosion was to incite terror so that they could extract money and those killed were innocent.Debraj, alias ‘Biswakranti’, who identified himself as the spokesperson of the UELF had called a television station and claimed responsibility for the bombing but a statement issued by the outfit had denied its involvement.
The accused Bhim Bahadur, 35, had murdered Pandu Lama in Nuwakot two years ago, while Nima Dorje,30, who had carried out explosions in the past, is the discipline incharge of Alliance Academy College. Buddhi Bahadur,60, had assembled the explosives while Prem, Sagar and Suresh, all aged 20, had left the improvised explosive wrapped in a rag at the NOC gate.
The plot was designed 10 days ahead of the blast, at a rented room in Sinamangal. Police has recovered 10 kg gelatine , pressure cooker, pieces of GI pipes, splinters, wires and copies of group’s manifesto from the room.
As the deadline for the constitution drafting draws nearer, the capital is witnessing rise in the number of incidences aimed at inciting fear in public. Although the Babarmahal incident points towards need to upgrade security in the public places, the valley police has also been troubled by growing numbers of false alarm of a hoax bomb like the one in New Baneswor on Sunday evening. “ We spent all evening trying to diffuse the ‘bomb’, the whole traffic had to be diverted and in the end it was just a bag of cosmetics”, said DIG Binod Singh of Metropolitan Police.