Rajkot: school owner receives parcel bomb in gift box

The owner of a private school in Rajkot district of Gujarat received a 'parcel bomb' which was successfully destroyed by police Wednesday morning, a senior official said.

Police are now looking for the unidentified sender.

The bomb, made with gelatin sticks and a detonator switch and packed in a gift box, was delivered by a courier at Shri Krishna School run by Vitthal Dobaria in Upleta town, 320 km from Rajkot, on October 12.

He alerted police after finding the contents of the box suspicious.

The Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad destroyed the bomb early Wednesday morning in a 'controlled blast', district Superintendent of Police Balram Meena told PTI.

"We suspect that the person who delivered the gift box was not a courier boy, as he did not follow the usual procedures of courier firms. The sender had written on the box that he was a former student of the school and sending the gift to thank Dobaria for his support," said Meena.

"The sender had requested Dobaria to open the box on October 14. Dobaria opened it Tuesday night and found suspicious items inside, so he alerted police," the SP said.

The materials used to make the bomb are generally used for tunnel blasting, he said.

"Luckily, the bomb did not go off. The sender could be a novice. But it was clear that Dobaria was the target. He has not pointed fingers at anyone. We have formed four teams to identify the culprit," the SP said.