Hubli court blast no terror attack

The case takes a new turn; rowdy Nagaraj Jambagi confesses to having planted bombs

The arrest of a gang of eight members led by notorious rowdy Nagaraj Jambagi has given a new twist to the Hubli court blast case.

Jambagi confessed during the interrogation that he was responsible for carrying out blasts in the court and planting bombs at National Highway 4.

The gang, which was arrested by Bagalkot police special squad, was involved in over two dozen criminal cases.

On interrogation, Jambagi confessed that he, with the help of his associates, had planted bombs at the Hubli court to eliminate his rival gang and a few police officers.

Though the bomb exploded, there were no casualties or major damage. Jambagi then planned another attack at National Highway near Venkatapura village. He placed the bombs under the bridge but the bombs didn't explode due to rain. The hidden bombs found by the police were diffused.

The police have also seized some bullets and a live bomb from Jambagi, which resembles the explosives planted at the court premises. The police are also investigating whether Jambagi was associated with any organisation.

According to police, Jambagi and his gang were involved in seven cases including murder, extortion and dacoity.

In November 2007, Jambagi hatched a conspiracy to kill politicians Satish Jarkiholi and Ramesh Jarkiholi at Gokak.

Police recovered Rs 11, 08,250 cash, silver and gold valuables worth Rs 1.3 lakh and three mobiles from the gang.

Further investigations revealed that in March 2008, Jambagi purchased two country-made bombs from illegal arms dealers Hanumanth Arjun Sainasakali and Channabasappa Revannasiddappa of Indi Taluk.

Underworld plans

"Jambagi had made more than 5 lakh mobile calls from his cell phone. He was trying to build a gang of his own as he wanted to become an underworld don," the police said."

Karnataka police solve Hubli bomb blast case

Bangalore: The Karnataka police on Sunday claimed they solved the last year's mysterious Hubli bomb blast case with the arrest of a man and his aides who allegedly involved in several criminal activities.

Inspector General of Police Ragavendra Auradhkar said Nagraj Jambagi and his aides were involved in the blast case which occurred in the court premises during the last Assembly polls. No person was injured as the courts were shut due to a holiday.

The IGP also said that this was the same team which had planted a bomb on the Belgaum-Hubli highway last year.

However, this bomb failed to explode as it was raining heavily. After high drama, the bomb squad finally retrieved the bomb.

The IGP said investigations showed that they carried out the blasts to bump off their rivals and also causing harm to the police force.

Explaining the operation, the IGP said that the police nabbed Nagraj and eight others in connection with various criminal cases that had occurred at Bagalkot, Karnataka. The police also seized Rs 11,08,250 from them apart from silver, gold and two motor cycles.

The IGP said that Nagraj led the gang which was involved in seven murder cases in North Karnataka. Besides, the gang was also allegedly involved in several cases of abduction.