Overview
- A crude‑bomb explosion in a hired car on June 27 killed the suspect, who had allegedly abducted a woman from Bengaluru, while the driver and woman escaped and an unexploded device was recovered at the scene.
- Tumakuru police formed a Special Investigation Team that secured the crash site, coordinated with the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad and FSL, and obtained court permission to defuse the unexploded device.
- Joint operations on June 29–30 led to the arrest of 64‑year‑old supplier George Niklov Fernandes in Chandavar and three men from Ankola who produced three crude country‑made bombs from a nearby forest.
- Cases have been filed under the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the seized devices were moved to a safe storage facility, and Fernandes was hospitalised during questioning and will be taken into custody after discharge.
- Police say the devices are inexpensive locally made explosives often used to stun or kill fish, and investigators are expanding forensic tests and inquiries to map other purchasers and curb the illicit supply chain.