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Jhabua Blast Accused Rajendra Kasawa Allegedly Arrested In Maharashtra

Jhabua Blast Accused Rajendra Kasawa Allegedly Arrested In Maharashtra

Rajendra Kasawa, prime accused in the September 12 blasts that shred a restaurant to pieces in Petlawad town of Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh, was arrested on Tuesday evening in Maharashtra, according to The Times of India.

However, cops have neither accepted nor denied Kaswa's arrest, according to TOI. He was booked by police under sections of Explosives Act and IPC section 304.

The blast killed at least 82 people and injured over a 100. According to Sub Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP), Petlawad, AR Khan, the explosion took place around 8:30 AM at a store in the building where huge piles of explosive material used for mines were kept.

Kashawa, had been given a license to purchase detonators for his business of digging wells, but had stored the detonators illegally in a room adjacent to the restaurant.

Mine operators are supposed to follow guidelines on the safe storage of detonators and other explosive materials but are often lax, and the district authorities rarely act against them, local police officer Kamlesh Bamaniya told AP.

According to the TOI report, after detaining Kaswa's wife Pramila, son Shubham and daughter Sonia from Manpur near Indore, a team had left for Maharashtra to arrest Kaswa. His brothers Phoolchand and Narendra too were detained.

Incidentally, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced on Sunday a reward of Rs 1 lakh to anybody who passed information to law-enforcers to facilitate the arrest of Kasawa.

There are several manganese and bauxite mines in Jhabua district, and many mine workers are hired on contract from Petlawad and nearby areas.

Extremely pained at the loss of lives due to the cylinder blast in Jhabua. My deepest condolences to the families of the deceased: PM

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 12, 2015

Extremely pained at the loss of lives due to the cylinder blast in Jhabua. My deepest condolences to the families of the deceased: PM

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 12, 2015

झाबुआ के प्रभारी मंत्री श्री अंतर सिंह आर्य तथा कलेक्टर सहित शीर्ष अधिकारी दुर्घटना स्थल पर मौजूद हैं। मैं निरंतर संपर्क में हूँ।

— ShivrajSingh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) September 12, 2015

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