A former assistant engineer posted at the Rural Development Corporation in Bihar, Vineet Kumar, had kept the bomb in Gondwana Express which was recovered from the train’s S-8 coach at Sihora railway station in Jabalpur division on January 11 last, police investigation has found. Special Additional Director-General of Police (Railways) Maithili Sharan Gupt, speaking to media persons here on Saturday, said that the accused was absconding from Bihar after he was granted bail in a case of misappropriation of Rs48 lakh in some cases involving his brother-in-law. He was in the jail for three months. After he jumped bail, he was living by the name of Praveen Awasthi in Jabalpur.
Gupt lauded the act of police constable Kamlesh Kumar Tripathi who without fearing for his life took out the bomb from the train and left it away on the nearby river bank for safety. He said that the shops from where the materials used in making the bomb were purchased have been traced. The accused travelled in the same train to avoid suspicion about the bag containing the bomb. A beggar was also aware of the bomb and the connection between the accused and the beggar is yet to be established.
Interestingly, the accused, Vineet Kumar, wanted to implicate his sister Kamla Kumari and her husband Vijay Kumar who had lodged several police complaints against Vineet, which resulted in his imprisonment. Gupt said four cases of misappropriation in which a sum totalling of Rs48 lakh were filed against Vineet Kumar and he was later arrested and served jail for three months.
When he was granted bail he went missing and during his absconding he was living by the name Praveen Awasthi in Jabalpur. He produced fake voter identity card in the name of Praveen Awasthi.