The Vyalikaval police have began a probe to ascertain the source of the highly inflammable chemical which exploded, killing 57-year-old Venkatesh on the spot in front of Rajarajeshwari Nagar MLA Munirathna’s house on Sunday morning.
The police are waiting for the FSL report. A senior police officer said it appears to be a case of accidental death as Venkatesh was carrying the can containing Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide (MEKP), a highly explosive material.
The officer said, “We are verifying the source of the chemical. There is no clarity on whether the can was abandoned by someone or Venkatesh had brought it from Jinke park in Chamarajpet in connection with his work, as he is a dhobi and had started a granite business recently. So far, we have not booked anyone in connection with the incident. Once we get a report from the FSL, the exact cause of the explosion would be revealed.”
The FSL report will take a few weeks.
The family cremated Venkatesh in Srirampura on Monday. Munirathna was among those who attended the funeral. The Congress MLA had said that the deceased was a childhood friend.
The explosion created panic among residents of Vyalikval 11th B Main. The blast caused a crater on the road. Shreds of the plastic can were found as far as 200 metres from the site of the explosion.
Based on a complaint by Prasanna, the driver of Munirathna, the police have registered an FIR under various sections of the Explosives Substances Act, but have not mentioned any suspect or accused so far.
Prasanna, in his complaint, said that around 9.30 a.m. he was cleaning the car when he noticed Venkatesh passing by carrying a plastic can and talking on the mobile phone. Seconds later, he heard a loud sound. He hid behind the car. After a few seconds, he came out and saw the mangled body of Venkatesh. By then, gunman Srinivas had rushed out of the house and alerted the police, he said in his complaint.
