Durg, August 17: In a chilling incident, police in Chhattisgarh arrested seven men, including a 20-year-old prime accused, for attempting to murder an electrician by gifting him a music speaker rigged with a two-kilogram Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The incident occurred in Manpur village of Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai district on Friday.

The victim, Afsar Khan, who runs a small electrical shop, received a parcel wrapped with a fake India Post logo a few days earlier. When he finally opened it at his shop, he grew suspicious as the “music speaker” was unusually heavy. Acting on instinct and a prior warning from his wife, Khan alerted Gandai police. A Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad rushed to the spot, and a sniffer dog confirmed the presence of explosives. Mumbai Shocker: Woman Conspires With Lover To Kill Husband in Goregaon After He Confronts Her Over Extramarital Affair, Arrested After Daughter Reveals Truth About Father's Murder.

Investigations revealed the main accused, Vinay Verma, an ITI diploma holder and electrician with blasting experience, had harbored a one-sided love for Khan’s wife since school. Verma confessed to assembling the bomb using online tutorials, confident he would evade detection. Police traced him through technical evidence and his phone searches on bomb-making. Pune Shocker: Bride-To-Be Hires Hitmen To Kill Fiance To Avoid Wedding, 5 Arrested After Man Escapes Attack in Maharashtra; Probe On.

Verma admitted to enlisting six aides—Parmeshwar Verma (25), Gopal Verma (22), Ghasiram Verma (46), Dilip Dhimar (38), Gopal Khelwar, and Khilesh Verma (19)—who helped him source explosives from a Durg stone quarry and deliver the parcel with forged postal markings. Police noted some accomplices may not have known the intended use of the explosives.

Seized materials, including explosive remnants, are now under forensic analysis. Authorities will also question the quarry owner about how the IED material was siphoned off. The case highlights a dangerous mix of obsession, betrayal, and criminal misuse of industrial explosives.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 17, 2025 04:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).