Man Who Planted Bomb in Ex-GFs Wedding Gift; Detained

KARWADHA: The estranged lover who planted a bomb in the home theatre he gifted his ex-girlfriend at her wedding was nabbed the CG police on Tuesday. The groom succumbed to the injuries sustained from the blast that he suffered while he and his elder brother were trying to operate it. His elder brother Rajkumar plugged the system and switched it on, said Manisha Thakur, Additional Superintendent of Kabirdham drict. A one-and-a-half-year-old girl and four others also suffered injuries. The incident took place at naxal prone Chamari village in Chhattisgarh’s Kawardha drict.
The police have identified him as Sarju Markam 33 old an auto mechanic hailing from Chhapla village in Balaghat drict MP. As per the preliminary probe the police, Markam had previously worked in a quarry where he learned to assemble bombs. They have traced the shop in Balaghat from where he had bought the music system. He has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder), 307 (murder attempt), and 326 (grievous hurt) and under the Explosive Substances Act.
The probe revealed that Merawi’s wife was in a relationship with Markam, who was already married and had two sons, aged six and four years. “Markam had initially lied to Merawi’s wife that he was not married. After she realized the truth, she refused to marry him. But he kept threatening her to marry him,” the police said. It was also revealed that the accused had threatened Merawi and the two had an altercation over the issue.
According to officials, Markam fitted the bomb in the system and kept it below the mandap along with other gifts. He used ammonium nitrate, petrol, and gunpowder retrieved from firecrackers. He gift-wrapped it to avoid any suspicion. The blast got triggered when the system was switched on