An explosion occurred at a petrol pump in Punjab’s Mansa district and its owner received an extortion message on WhatsApp, demanding him to pay Rs 5 crore or face dire consequences, police said.
The blast took place in a drain in front of the petrol pump around 1 am on October 27. CCTV footage showing the moment when the blast occurred was recorded.
The owner, Khushwinder Singh, said he received the news from his staff working at the petrol pump. As per preliminary investigation, a bomb was thrown in front of the petrol pump and it exploded. After the incident, the petrol pump owner received a message and a missed call on WhatsApp through a foreign number, claiming responsibility for the explosion, police said.
The owner, in an FIR, said he received messages saying a grenade was thrown at the petrol pump and it was just a trailer. The complainant said he was asked to pay Rs 5 crore or else his family would be killed by blowing up their home.
An FIR under sections 308 (4) (attempting to put a person in fear of death or grievous hurt to commit extortion) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered, Mansa SSP Bhagirath Meena told India Today TV.
A forensic team was called to the spot to determine the cause of the blast.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said it was not involved in investigating the incident since it was a case of extortion. It also said it did not send any team to the spot.
