Khushbu Kumari may have been lured by her fiancé Nikesh Rai (35) to enter the Chhapra civil court premises in Saran district with the bomb that went off prematurely on Monday.
Three persons, including Khushbu (30) herself, were injured in the blast. Preliminary investigations show Nikesh lured Khushbu, (30), a resident of Jhaua Basant village in Saran district, to carry out the attack on Shashibhushan Singh, Khushbu's cousin, lodged in Chhapra district jail.
"Khushbu risked her life to keep a promise she had made to Nikesh a few weeks ago," said an investigation officer. "The duo had hatched a conspiracy to kill Shashibhushan and set Nikesh free from judicial custody."
Shashibhushan is a complainant in a case in which Nikesh and four others are named accused. Khushbu was reportedly supplied a bomb by Nikesh's associate Mahesh Rai, a resident of Ramgarha village in Saran district.
Nikesh introduced Khushbu to Mahesh when he was brought to the court for proceedings recently. Mahesh was tasked with assisting Khushbu in the operation. However, the bomb went off prematurely, causing grievous injuries to Khushbu and two others.
"Khushbu is Nikesh's girlfriend and he used her as a bait to settle a personal score with Shashibhushan," a senior police officer told The Telegraph on Tuesday. "As per plan, Khushbu reached the court with a live bomb, which suddenly went off."
Saran additional superintendent of police Manish Kumar recorded the statement of Khushbu, who is being treated at the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH). Manish, however, refused to share details of the interrogation, as it could hamper probe.
A forensic expert team from the state police headquarters visited the site and gathered evidence. Senior police officials, including additional director-general (law and order) Alok Raj and inspector-general (IG) of Tirhut zone, Parasnath, also visited Chhapra.
Referring to the explosives used in the blast, IG Parasnath said: "It appears to be a low intensity bomb."
Saran superintendent of police (SP) Pankaj Kumar Raj said a detailed plan had been chalked out to provide foolproof security to the district court. Alarmed after Monday's blast, additional security forces have been deployed.
Similar steps have been taken by the authorities in Muzaffarpur and Rohtas districts, which witnessed firing and blasts on the court premises. An undertrial was gunned down in Muzaffarpur recently while two persons, including a court clerk, suffered injuries in a blast in Rohtas district earlier this year.
Muzaffarpur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vivek Kumar said metal detectors have been installed at the entrance gate, which houses the court rooms of judicial officers. In addition, parking of vehicles has been restricted as a precautionary measure.
The Patna High Court took suo motu cognizance of the blast in Chhapra court and sought a detailed report on the security measures taken by the state government in district courts.
