Pune Crime Files: The unsolved mystery of explosive parcels that landed at institutes, political outfits in 2015-17

The threat letter, typed in Marathi, stated, “Red-faced monkeys should stop the violence against us. Otherwise, the time has come to show what an explosion is. Our seniors have tied our hands. But if we lose patience, then we will finish you from the Indian soil. If you commit any destructive acts again, we will retaliate similarly. Now, we are just sending a sample. Next time, we will not send any samples. You will be slapped on your face…..Vande Mataram…Bharat Mata Ki Jay”

Abhyankar then lodged a first information report (FIR) against an unidentified person at the Vishrambag police station, under sections 286, 435, 506/2, 511 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections of the Explosives Act.

The police probed various angles, including whether right-wing groups were involved. The threat letter carried the sender’s name, “Ayurvedachary Vedant Kulkarni”, along with an address and mobile number. The probe revealed that this mobile number belonged to a housewife who had nothing to do with this case.

The police found that the packet did not carry features like a bar code, which are usually seen on parcels dispatched by professional courier services. Police zeroed in on a person seen in a video captured by a CCTV camera at a hotel below the CPI-Marxist office. The Police suspected this person delivered the brown packet carrying explosives to the CPI Marxist’s office around 2.30 pm on April 26. However, the police failed to identify the person, and no arrests were made.

“The case remains unsolved,” Abhyankar told The Indian Express.

Earlier, on May 7, 2016, the Film Television Institute of India (FTII) director’s office received a parcel by post containing a live detonator, an explosive substance, and a threat letter warning against any association with Kanhaiya Kumar, then a student leader at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and now a Congress leader.

After two days, another India Post parcel containing a live detonator, an explosive and a similar threat letter was found at the Department of Communication and Journalism at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) located on the premises of Ranade Institute on F C Road. The police said this parcel was posted the same day it was sent to the FTII. Both cases were registered at the Deccan Gymkhana police station.

Before that, on July 10, 2015, a packet containing some explosive substance, detonator and paper cuttings of Sanatan Prabhat (mouthpiece of Hindutva outfit Sanatan Sanstha) was posted in the name of Ajay Bhosale, state convenor of Sambhaji Brigade at the office of Jijai Publication in Narayan Peth. The publication belongs to Sambhaji Brigade, an outfit known for taking a stand against the Hindutva groups.

Bhosale opened the packet on July 11 and complained to the Vishrambag police station on July 12.

On July 17, 2015, a similar packet with explosive substance, a detonator and paper cuttings of Sanatan Prabhat, addressing Santosh Shinde, an office-bearer of Sambhaji Brigade, was received at a businessman’s office in the Pune Camp area. The businessman was linked to the Sambhaji Brigade. An FIR was lodged at the Cantonment police station in this case.

In these two cases, the paper cuttings included the names of a well-known journalist, a politician, and a Sambhaji Brigade officer-bearer, all crossed with red ink.

A Pune city police probe revealed that parcels were last dispatched from the General Post Office (GPO) and the S P College post office. The police found that parcels came to Pune by railway mail. They checked the stamps of every post office located within 200 kilometres of Pune City to match the stamps on the parcels. They conducted inquiries at the Railway Mail Service (RMS) but could not find those who sent the suspicious parcels.

A few journalism students, activists of the Sambhaji Brigade, and other outfits staged joint protests to condemn these threat letters and parcels laden with explosives. However, no breakthrough has been made yet.