City blasts: 13 involved, say cops

Kathmandu, September 30:Police today said 13 persons, including a police constable, were involved in planting bombs that exploded at Sundhara, Tripureshwor and Balaju in the capital on September 2.The police also said four persons — policeman Upendra Shah, 27, Jagat Narayan Thakur, 25, Sanjib Sah, 20 of Rautahat and Ramlakhan Thakur of Bara — were arrested 10 days ago on the charge of being involved in the blasts that killed two students and a woman and left 25 others injured. Nine others — mastermind Kaushal Sahani, alias Mr John, Ajay Sahani, 23, Babban Singh, 40, Ramakanta Thakur, 24, Raj Narayan Thakur, 25, Jagat Shah, 22, Rampriya Sahani, Dhuran Thakur, 28, and Parindar Baidha, 15, of Rautahat — are at large, police said.“The arrested men identify themselves as members of the Tarai Army,” Additional Inspector General of Police Keshav Baral told a press meet at the police headquarters held to make public a report on the blasts. “Investigations are on to ascertain the motive and identify elements that backed the incident,” Baral said.According to him, the group outlined the plan in Rautahat and arrived in the capital on August 29. While Raj Narayan, Dhuran and Parindar put up in a rented room of Jagat Narayan and Ramlakhan at Gursingal, Kaushal, Ramakanta and Jagat stayed somewhere else, the police said.“The group had originally planned to carry out the blasts at Singhadurbar, the Supreme Court, the Gongabu Bus Park and the Nepal Bangladesh Bank. It later changed its plans due to the security that was in place at these places,” Baral said.He said the men lured the constable with a motorcycle and acquired information on the police movement from him. “The arrested will be charged with murder,”he added.