Mumbai, May 15: The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) on Friday arrested a youth from Nagpur railway station for allegedly planting a suspected explosive device inside Pune’s Usha Kiran Hospital in Hadapsar, triggering panic and a major security response in the city.
Dummy device allegedly planted at hospital
The accused, identified as Shivaji Rathod, a resident of Kavathe village in Solapur district, allegedly planted a dummy improvised explosive device (IED) inside the hospital premises, police said.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the act was not linked to any terror conspiracy but was allegedly triggered by a financial dispute. According to investigators, Rathod had visited the hospital on May 10 for treatment of a sexually transmitted disease, where he was informed that the treatment would cost nearly Rs 7 lakh.
Police said Rathod was already under debts of around Rs 13-15 lakh. Following a dispute with a doctor over the treatment expenses, he allegedly planned to intimidate and extort money from the hospital management.
Investigators said Rathod then spent nearly three days preparing a dummy bomb designed to resemble a real improvised explosive device (IED). On May 13, he allegedly planted the device inside the hospital premises before fleeing from Pune.
Bomb scare triggered major security response
Officials said the suspicious object triggered panic inside the hospital, following which local police, ATS personnel, and bomb detection and disposal squads rushed to the spot and secured parts of the premises.
Officials said the object was later found to be a dummy device assembled using a digital clock, four small pipes, cello tape, and two wires — one black and one red. The device did not contain any explosive substance.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said investigators found that Rathod had watched bomb-making videos on YouTube before allegedly assembling the device using materials worth around Rs 400.
During searches conducted at Rathod’s residence and his clothes-and-shoe shop in Pune’s Manjari area, investigators recovered the packaging box of the digital clock allegedly used in preparing the dummy device. Police also recovered nearly 2 kg of ganja from his residence, which is being investigated separately, officials said.
ATS tracked accused through CCTV and surveillance
Officials said CCTV footage from the hospital and surrounding areas was examined during the probe, which eventually led the ATS to Rathod.
ATS and Pune Police scanned CCTV footage collected from the hospital and scrutinised the movements and interactions of nearly 17 persons who had visited the hospital premises around the time of the incident before identifying Rathod as a suspect.
During the examination, investigators found Rathod’s movements suspicious and subsequently tracked him using technical surveillance and learnt that he had boarded an eastbound express train after leaving Pune.
Investigators subsequently alerted the Akola Police and laid a trap at Murtizapur railway station, a major junction in Akola district, where the train arrived around 5.30 a.m. However, officials said Rathod allegedly sensed the police presence and managed to evade the surveillance team before officers could board the train and detain him.
Accused arrested at Nagpur railway station
Following his escape from Akola, surveillance teams continued tracking his movements through electronic and railway inputs, eventually leading investigators to Nagpur. Officials said ATS teams apprehended Rathod while he was arriving at Platform No. 6 of Nagpur railway station later in the day.
According to investigators, Rathod was allegedly planning to flee to Nepal via Howrah after leaving Nagpur. Police said his sister resides in Nepal and he had allegedly informed family members that he intended to travel there to escape the summer heat in India.
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He is currently being brought to Pune, where investigators are expected to question him in detail regarding the alleged extortion plan and the manner in which he allegedly conspired to threaten the hospital management.
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