Main Accused In Bengal Illegal Factory Blast Case Dies In Odisha

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said the state government had no objection to an NIA probe in the case.

The main accused in West Bengal's Egra blast case has died at a hospital in Cuttack in Odisha. Krishnapada Bag alias Bhanu Bag was the owner of the illegal firecracker factory in East Medinipur district where a massive explosion killed nine people on Tuesday. After escaping from the area with burn injuries minutes after the explosion, Bag had admitted himself to a hospital in Odisha's Balasore before being shifted to a private hospital in Cuttack where he died on Friday morning, sources said.

The West Bengal CID (Crime Investigation Department) which is investigating the case could not question him before his death as he was critical when he was admitted to hospital. Sources confirmed that Bag had sustained severe injuries in the explosion. The police had been seeking his interrogation in connection with the case, but his medical condition had made it impossible to question him.

Meanwhile, huge amounts of explosives have been recovered from an area situated around 15 kilometers from the blast site of Khadikul village of East Medinipur district. The recovery was made based on complaints from villagers about another cracker factory at Kamardiha village. Pictures suggest gunpowder and cracker-making materials were found inside the factory. The owner of the factory has been identified and is reportedly on the run from the police.

The case has already reached the Calcutta High Court with the BJP demanding a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the incident. On Thursday, the Calcutta High Court directed the CID to register a case under the Explosive Substances Act. The invoking of the Explosive Substances Act also opens doors for a probe by NIA, the anti-terror agency.