Ragpicker killed as box explodes

Hyderabad: A 35-year-old ragpicker, identified as Syed Khaja Aliuddin, was killed when a box he tried to prise open exploded at Rajendra Nagar on Sunday morning.

The deceased was a resident of Rajendranagar. The blast created panic among the residents in the area.

On receipt of information, the police rushed to the spot and shifted the critically injured person to Osmania General Hospital for an emergency treatment in an ambulance. Later while undergoing treatment he died in hospital in the afternoon.

According to DCP Shamshabad N Prakash Reddy, the explosion took place on a footpath under PVNR Expressway between pillar numbers 279 and 280. The ragpicker used to collect different materials from different places and sitting on the footpath at the pillar used to open the bag and separate the material.

On Sunday also he came to the spot at 10:30 am and tried to open a box which exploded. Senior police officials rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area.

Cyberabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar and senior officials of Intelligence wing visited the blast scene and took stock of the situation.

Bomb squad and sniffer dogs were deployed. The Clues Team collected the evidence. A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) collected samples from the explosion spot for analysis. Officials of anti-terror unit Organisation for Counter-Terrorist Operations (OCTOPUS) also visited the spot and analysed the situation.

The Police Commissioner told the media that it was suspected to be chemical explosion and a thorough investigation is on. Police are verifying the CCTV footage to trace wherefrom the ragpicker had found the bag in which the chemical box was kept.

They are suspecting that the box might have some chemical substance and might have been discarded after expiry date.