22-yr-old made bomb to kill lover’s father

Man prepared helicopter bomb with help of mechanic to take revenge on girlfriend's dad, as he was opposed to relationship

22-yr-old made bomb to kill lover's father

Man prepared helicopter bomb with help of mechanic to take revenge on girlfriend's dad, as he was opposed to relationship

THE Vakola police have finally solved the mystery behind the blast near Air India Colony in Kalina on Thursday.
The police arrested a 22-year-old student who had assembled the explosive to take revenge on his lover's father as he had refused to accept him as his son-in-law.

MiD DAY had reported yesterday ('Did disabled man's game player cause Kalina blast?') about a mystery blast that went off in Air India Colony.

The Vakola police escort Suraj Shetty who was the mastermind
behind the Kalina bomb blast on Thursday

"The accused Suraj Shetty was inspired by Bollywood blockbuster Bodyguard and planned to make a helicopter bomb," said Assistant Police Inspector Manish Avale of Vakola police station. In the movie Bodyguard, actor Kareena Kapoor is shown being chased by an explosive-laden toy helicopter, which is controlled by a remote operated by the villain Aditya Pancholi.

"Shetty was having an affair with a girl from Kurla for the last five years, but her parents were opposed to the relationship. Shetty wanted to teach her father a lesson and so he contacted Dattaram Salvi (30) who was earlier a mechanic. With Salvi's help he decided to plant the bomb in the SUV of her father," said Assistant Police Inspector Nitin Patil of DCP squad.

Shetty is a resident of Tilak Nagar in Chembur and earlier owned the Giri bar in Ghatkopar. Salvi owned a paan stall near his bar, and that is how the two knew each other.

Around 6.45 pm, the Vakola police got a call about an explosion near the Air India Colony on Kalina-Kurla road on Thursday. The police came to know that the explosion had taken place in the wheelchair of a handicapped man. All the police units, including the crime branch and the Anti Terrorism Squad, were pressed into service as the blast was close to the airport.

"Salvi had injuries on his hands and legs. We have also taken the help of forensic experts in the case," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone VIII) Satyanarayan Choudhary. Initially, the police suspected the blast occurred in a video game player used by Salvi, but investigations revealed a different story altogether.

Investigation
A team comprising API Patil and API Avale was formed. Salvi refused to reveal anything to the police initially, but when his brother-in-law reached the hospital, he finally spilt the beans.

Dalvi confessed he made the explosive with Shetty's help. Despite repeated attempts, Shetty failed to convince the girl's family, so he decided to kill her father.

"Shetty made the bomb by removing gunpowder from various firecrackers. The duo then fixed a helicopter motor to the bomb and connected it to a remote.

They then decided to test the bomb on the isolated patch in Kalina-Kurla road, but the bomb exploded on Salvi's wheelchair when Shetty pressed the remote by mistake," said Avale.