The bomb blast at Ara civil court premises which killed at least two persons and left 17 others injured, was aimed to free a hardcore criminal during his court appearance, a police official confirmed to The Hindu .
Reports suggested that the middle-aged woman was carrying the bomb to explode during appearance of Lambu Sharma in the court “but before she could trigger it, the bomb went off and she too died at the spot”, said the police official.
Sharma is believed to have escaped from the police custody, he adde. Another prisoner named Akhilesh Upadhayay too has escaped from the court premises after the blast.
Sharma, said the police, was accused in the bomb blast case which happened at the same Ara court premises in 2009.
The police official has ruled out that the blast was any terrorist or extremist activity in view of the Republic Day alert throughout the country.
Former home secretary and BJP MP from Ara, Rajkumar Singh, said that “prima facie it appeared to be an attempt to free a prisoner from the court appearance”. He also ruled out the terror angle behind the blast.
Police have recovered the woman's mobile phone from the spot.
Unconfirmed reports said the toll in the blast has gone upto 3. Altogether 17 persons have been injured in the blast. Some critically injured have been referred to the Patna Medical Collage and Hospital.
Meanwhile, the police has launched a massive manhunt and sealed the district border.
The Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the State government.
