Behind Parcel Bomb That Killed Gujarat Man, An Affair Gone Wrong

The parcel that exploded and killed a man and his daughter in Gujarat’s Vadali was sent to their house by a man who was allegedly having an affair with his wife, police said on Friday.

The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon after the family opened the parcel and it exploded killing 32-year-old Jeetubhai Heerabhai Vanjara, a labourer, on the spot while his daughter Bhumika, 12, died on the way to the hospital.

According to police, Jayantibhai Balusingh Vanjara, 31, sent the parcel to Jeetubhai’s house in an auto rickshaw, making it appear like a tape recorder. When the Jeetubhai tried to plug it in, the box exploded.

Senior police officer Vijay Patel said that during the initial investigation, the auto-rickshaw driver who delivered the package to the house was identified based on the CCTV footage. Based on the auto driver’s statement, police formed teams to locate the accused, who was arrested hours after the blast.

Jayantibhai had sent the parcel to Jeetubhai’s house to kill him as he did not approve of his former girlfriend’s marriage to Jeetubhai, he said. Jayantibhai travelled to Rajasthan to get the materials to make the improvised bomb. He used gelatin sticks and a detonator which was set off as soon as the “tape recorder” was plugged in, he added.

Jeetubhai’s other two daughters, aged 9 and 10, were also injured in the explosion and are being treated. One of them is on ventilator support. 

The two sisters have been taken to Ahmedabad for further treatment. Both have sustained severe injuries in their eyes and chest.

Police said Jeetubhai’s wife was out of the house when the explosion occurred.

Further investigation is on.

(With inputs from Mahendra Prasad)