Hyderabad, Feb 21, 2013,
Serial bomb blasts rocked Hyderabad Thursday evening, killing at least 12 people and injuring around 57 others, Home Secretary R.K. Singh said.
“Twin blasts have occured. The number of dead has increased from 10 to 12 and the injured are 57,” R.K. Singh told reporters after holding a high-level security meet following the two near-simultaneous explosions.
Earlier Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said, “it was too early to say anything and only an investigation will reveal it”.
He said the two bombs were placed within a radius of 100 to 150 metres in Dilkhus nagar area in the Andhra Pradesh capital and placed in two bicycles.
“There were two blasts in Dilkhush nagar. I have spoken to the Chief Minister (Kiran Kumar Reddy) and he told me that the bombs were placed in two cycles and in one place eight people were killed and in other place three people were killed. 50 people were also injured,” he told reporters here.
Asked whether the death told could go up, the Home Minister said “it is possible that death toll will rise”.
Asked whether the blasts had any links with the arrest of MIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, who was in jail for allegedly delivering an inflammatory speech, he said, “there is nothing like that”.
Shinde said the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister was in the spot and he told him that there was similar blast nearby Gokul Chat five years ago.
The Home Minister said the security agencies had information for the last two days about possible attack by terrorists which was shared with all the states.
He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had been informed and teams of National Investigation Agency and NSG’s bomb disposal squad had been rushed.
