KARWAR: Three men have been arrested for allegedly possessing crude country-made bombs illegally, police said on Wednesday.The accused, identified as Narayan Gowda (29) and his brother Nagaraj Gowda (31), residents of Honnalli village in Ankola, are linked to the recent car explosion on a national highway in Tumakuru district in which their cousin Nagendra (30) was charred to death inside a burning vehicle, according to news agency PTI.Police said the brothers were arrested on June 30 after a patrolling team received information that they were illegally storing crude country-made bombs.Based on information gathered during the investigation, police later arrested a third accused, Sandeep Gowda of Shiragunji, who is a friend of Narayan and Nagaraj.According to police, a team, along with the Anti-Sabotage Check Team and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, proceeded to Honnalli village following the tip-off.During questioning at Narayan Gowda’s residence, the accused allegedly admitted that they had stored the crude bombs for catching fish.“They further stated that a few days earlier, one of their relatives (Nagendra) had died in an explosion while carrying explosives in a bag. Following that incident, they had hidden the remaining bombs in a forest area,” an officer said.Police said the accused then led investigators to the location where three crude country-made bombs had been concealed. The explosives were recovered and seized.The seized explosives were later transported and deposited at an authorised explosives storage facility after prescribed safety procedures were followed, police added.During the investigation, the accused allegedly disclosed that the bombs had been supplied by Sandeep.Based on a complaint, Ankola Police registered a case under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and Section 288 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is underway.Police said the arrests emerged from the probe into the Tumakuru car blast, which led investigators to the accused and the alleged stockpile of crude bombs.On June 27, Nagendra allegedly abducted a woman, Ramya, from Bengaluru’s Jayanagar after forcing her into a hired car. While the vehicle was passing near Kallambella in Tumakuru district, an explosive allegedly being carried by Nagendra detonated, setting the car on fire and killing him.The driver and Ramya sustained injuries but managed to escape. Police are continuing to investigate the incident, including the supply chain of the crude country-made bombs.
