Juvenile held after bomb attack bid goes awry in Nellai

MADURAI: In a suspected case of attack on a TV reporter, who is also a vendor, a bike-borne duo hurled country bombs on a shop located near the judicial magistrate court complex at Nanguneri in Tirunelveli district on Tuesday.

Sources said that the duo suspected that Vaanamaamalai, the shopkeeper, who is also a television news reporter, tipped off the police in the assault on a Dalit student from Nanguneri a few months ago and attempted to attack him by hurling bombs on his shop.

Tirunelveli Superintendent of Police N Silambarasan, when contacted, denied allegations linking the incident to the assault on the Dalit student in Nanguneri, and added that the one of the accused involved in the bomb attack incident was a juvenile, who has been secured by the police.

The juvenile wanted to attack the shopkeeper-cum-reporter in revenge for being exposed in the media, the police official said.

Sources said one of the youth while traveling in a bike hurled two country-made bombs, but both did not explode.

The Nanguneri police and the bomb disposal squad examined the scene of the crime and conducted inquiries. A sniffer dog was also brought to the site, where police recovered an undetonated country bomb. Further investigations are on.