Discarded cigarette behind blast outside CRPF school in Delhi, police say: Report

An explosion outside a CRPF school in Delhi's Rohini in the early hours of October 20 had baffled many. Investigators probed a number of angles to ascertain the cause of the blast, including terrorism.

However, it has now been revealed that it was the work of an irresponsible fellow citizen—who when walking his dog had casually flung the remaining part of a cigarette he had been smoking into a pile of garbage. The lit cigarette came in contact with some industrial waste, which then exploded, Indian Express reported citing officials investigating the matter.

“Forensic experts and technical experts of National Security Guard are being consulted by Delhi Police to ascertain the exact identity of all the traces/powders recovered from the spot, but they are yet to submit their report. As of now, the detonator hasn’t been found,” a senior official told the publication.

The strong blast ripped through the wall of the school in Rohini's Prashant Vihar area on October 20. While no one was hurt in the explosion, it damaged the hoardings of nearby shops and window panes of some vehicles parked in the area.

Regarding how the police managed to zero in on the person responsible, the official said as per the report, “Among the 10 suspects, a North Delhi-based businessman was also questioned as he was found to be present around five minutes before the explosion. He is a resident of Prashant Vihar and came on Sunday morning to walk his dog. The CCTV footage shows that he was smoking and after questioning him, it came to the fore that he left lit cigarette butts before leaving the spot.”

Earlier, CCTV footage of a suspect from the night before the incident was found and more than two-dozen people who were spotted near the site just before the explosion were questioned.

With PTI inputs