NEW DELHI, January 23 (Sputnik) — Three people have been killed and another 17 injured following a bomb explosion in the city of Arrah, in India’s eastern state of Bihar, local police said Friday.
Arrah (Bihar): Explosion in civil court premises, one killed pic.twitter.com/fKAwLKQriY
— ANI (@ANI_news) January 23, 2015
The blast occurred after a woman carried a bomb into the premises of the Arrah civil court premises on Friday morning, according to senior police officer Gupteshwar Pandey. Hindu Times reports quoting a police official that the woman’s body was "blown to pieces".
The bomb went off while a group of prisoners were being transferred from a bus to the lock-up on court compound.
"The investigation is on, but the state of her body points to the suicide theory," Additional Director General of Police said.
The explosion killed the woman who carried the bomb, a police officer and a prisoner. Two criminals managed to escape from police custody in the chaos that ensued.
A policeman who had been standing extremely close to the explosion was hospitalized, but was later reported dead.
Seventeen others were hospitalized with various injuries.
The Indian Home Ministry has asked for a detail report from the Bihar state government on the suicide blast.
The blast came despite tightened security measures in India ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit on Sunday. Security agencies have been put on a nationwide alert following the gun massacre at a Pakistani school in December 2014.
