Kalamassery Blasts Accused A ‘Brilliant Mind’, Left His Lucrative Job In Gulf: Police

New Delhi: Dominic Martin, who confessed to the blasts at a Christian prayer meet on Sunday, was called a “brilliant mind” by the police on Tuesday. He had given up a well-paid job in the Gulf, raising doubts about his motives. Martin was arrested on Monday after he turned himself in shortly after the blasts. On Tuesday, the Special Investigation Team took him to his home at Athani near Aluva, where he allegedly made the bombs. They searched for vital clues.

Martin explained how he built the bombs with the materials he said he used in the blasts that killed three and injured over 50. He had shown the police the bills for the materials when he surrendered, making the case stronger against him, a senior police official said. He also had bills for petrol linked to the bomb-making.

Martin was known for his “outstanding intelligence and hard work”. The police were puzzled by his choice to leave his lucrative overseas job for such a horrific act. His skills in electronics added to the mystery of the case. Martin, wearing a mask that covered his face, was in court on Tuesday.

He will face a test identification parade at the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Wednesday, a legal step. He refused legal help from the court many times. He said he wanted to defend himself. He made it clear that it was his decision, not because of money problems.

He was charged under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) (Punishment for murder), Section 3 of the Explosive Substances Act and some sections of the UAPA. The blasts happened at a convention centre in Kalamassery near here, where Jehovah’s Witnesses – a Christian group that started in the US in the 1800s – had a prayer meeting on Sunday.

Before he surrendered, Martin posted a video on social media saying he was behind the blasts and why he did it. The video was shown on many TV channels. He said he did it because the group’s teachings were “seditious”.

He also said Jehovah’s Witnesses and their ideology were a threat to the country and they had to be stopped in the state. He said he had asked them many times to change their teachings, but they refused.

“I had no other choice, so I did this,” he said. One woman died and over 50 were hurt, six of them badly, in the blasts.

Later, one of the six badly hurt – a 53-year-old woman – died of her injuries. By Monday morning, three people had died, including a 12-year-old girl who had 95 per cent burns. Now, 21 people are being treated in different hospitals, three of them in serious condition.

The investigation team is still trying to find out why Martin, who had a good career abroad, would allegedly do the blast. More details are expected as the case progresses.