Nearly one month after the September 13 blasts at Petlawad in Jhabua district of the State that killed at least 78 people, reports here said that the main accused Rajendra Kaswa believed to have been killed in the explosions may be still alive.
A gas cylinder blast at a tea stall packed with customers was followed by another massive explosion that ripped through a nearby godown in Petlawad in Jhabua district also left more than 100 others injured.
The godown belonged to a man named Rajendra Kaswa and explosives used in mining were stored there, officials said.
Immediately after the blasts, a rumour surfaced that Kaswa might have died in the incident.
Police sent the DNA of the remains of a body believed to be that of Kaswa, and that of Kaswa's relatives to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to ascertain the truth.
Seema Ulva, the chief of the SIT, said that the forensic reports have arrived and the results were negative. This means Kaswa may still be alive.
The hunt for Kaswa was still on, the official said.
Police had earlier said at least 89 people died in the two blasts, but later revised the toll to 78.
Notably, Kaswa went missing soon after the blasts and is believe to be dead. locals believe that he was blown to pieces in the explosions.
Milind Mehta, a resident of Petlwad and an old friend of Kaswa had said, "The second powerful blast happened within a span of five minutes. After the first explosion, which was of low intensity, we saw Rajendra Kaswa opening the shutters of his godown. It was unmistakeably him. There is no trace of his family after that incident. I have no information about them. Police say they are on the run.