The bicycle inside a police car. Picture by Anirban Choudhury

Volka (Alipurduar), Feb. 20: A bomb with a timer device exploded here a little after noon today, killing one person and injuring four. The explosive was kept in a plastic carry bag that was hanging from a bicycle.

Police suspect Ulfa hand because of the similarities with earlier explosions — one in January and the other in November last year — that had rocked the area on the Bengal-Assam border. Nine persons were injured when a powerful bomb kept in a jute bag tied to a bicycle exploded in Srirampur, 8km from here.

Today’s blast shook the office of the National Crime Report Bureau of the Bengal police located here, 35km from Alipurduar town. A food stall and a motorcycle were completely damaged. The handle of the bicycle was found 200 metres away.

Splinters hit Mahendra Das, the owner of a nearby eatery and Juran Das, the cook, who fell down unconscious and died on way to Alipurduar hospital. Satyen Das, an employee of the commercial tax department, Paritosh Sil, a barber, and Ratan Das were also injured. All four were hospitalised.

A police team from Assam visited the spot along with their Bengal counterparts. “We suspect Ulfa hand in the blast because of the similarity with the explosion in Srirampur (8km from here, in Gosaigaon subdivision of Assam) last month. The mode of operation was the same. This time, too, it was a timer device. The idea was to create panic,” said R.J.S Nalwa, the inspector-general of police, north Bengal.

Normally a busy area because of the presence of a checkpost of the commercial tax department, the spot did not have many people today. The rain had kept most of them indoors.

Gouri Saha, who works in the eatery owned by Mahendra, said she had seen a “piece of fire” hit Juran. “We had been chatting in front of the eatery. A loud noise shook the place and a piece of fire, hit Juran who ran inside and fell down unconscious. There were people inside the Bureau office, but luckily nothing happened to them.”

But office appliances like computers and telephones inside the Bureau building were damaged.