A powerful explosion outside the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp, where the National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials probing Bardhaman blast case are staying, damaged a bus shelter in Kolkata’s Salt Lake on Monday. However, no one was reported injured.

The probing agency suspects that the blast was carried out in retaliation to the recent arrest of Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) suspects in connection with the Bardhaman blast on October 2. Two suspected top members of the module, Sheikh Rahmatullah and Amjad Sheikh, have so far been arrested along with five others.

“Three of them are presently in our custody,” said a senior official. The NIA camp office is located inside the CRPF campus in Sector 5 of Salt Lake, close to the Border Security Force campus.

Preliminary reports suggested that the incident took place around 7-30 p.m. “A sentry posted at the CRPF campus gate saw a man hurling an object from a moving vehicle.

The object hit the nearby bus shelter, after which there was an explosion. While initial reports indicate that no one was injured, the bus shelter was badly damaged. It appears to be a crude but power bomb,” said the official, adding that the local police have launched a hunt for the suspect.