Explosion in parcel from Amritsar creates panic at Pradhan Nagar post office

A small explosion in a parcel from Amritsar in Punjab caused panic at Pradhan Nagar post office in north Bengal’s Siliguri town on Tuesday morning with staff and customers running for cover as sparks and smoke came out of the parcel around 11.30 am when a postman was handling it.

The bomb squad soon reached the spot with sniffer dogs followed by a criminal investigation department (CID) team. Police have started an investigation.

The parcel was booked through EMS Speed Post by a man named Anirudh Bhardawaj who deals in air guns in Amritsar, police said. The parcel, which was shipped on July 10, was meant for Anuj Tamang, a local resident. Tamang is being questioned.

Kunwar Bhusan Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Siliguri (Zone 2), said, “The investigation has so far revealed that the parcel contained inflammatory substance used as cartridge in air guns.”

Archana Dey, the postmaster of Pradhan Nagar post office said, “The parcel reached the post office in the morning.”

A senior police officer told HT that inflammatory substances cannot be shipped through post offices and it is being probed how the parcel was sent from Amritsar.

It may be recalled that in June 2011, a female school teacher was killed by a parcel bomb sent to her home in the English Bazar area of Malda district in north Bengal.
https://www.hindustantimes.com