The powerful explosion, which ripped through two outlets of Mumbai Central Station’s food plaza this evening, came as a climax to as many as 16 bomb hoax calls on Thursday and five on Friday.The blast at 4.52 pm left 25 persons injured, three of them seriously, in the adjacent stalls of McDonald’s and Desi Deli. No explosives, however, were found at the site.According to Western Railway General Manager, K.K. Agarwal: ‘‘There were around 40 customers and 25 staff members in the plaza when the explosion took place. The Rajdhani Express was also about to depart. We rushed two injured persons to the Jagjivan Ram Railway Hospital. One of them was later discharged. Twenty-three other blast victims were admitted to Nair Hospital, of whom six have been be kept back for observation.’’The blast site lay strewn with glass shards, broken furniture, bloodstains, abandoned footwear, bags and water bottles. Part of the food plaza’s ceiling had also crashed.While police suspect that the explosion was triggered off by a gas cylinder burst or a blast in the air-conditioner unit, Minister of State for Home Kripashankar Singh said forensic experts, bomb disposal squad and sniffer dogs have been deployed to find the exact cause.Director General of Police S.C. Malhotra said: ‘‘There was no burning and no explosives found. The blast occurred in the area above the air conditioning duct, which caused the false ceiling to cave in.’’After inspecting the spot, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Shridhar Vagal also said a leak in the duct could have triggered the blast. ‘‘The damage would have been more severe if explosives were used,’’ Vagal said.A team of Voltas officials was later brought in to study the damaged air-conditioning unit. A survey revealed that the machinery kept in the rear of the restaurant was intact and there was no damage to the compressors and blowers.The entire food plaza area was cordoned off as both Suburban and long distance trains resumed their services after a temporary suspension. CPRO Shailendra Kumar said Rs 500 will be paid as compensation to each of the injured persons, who have been kept back for observation and treatment.Members of the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, along with sniffer dogs, could not find any remains of a gas cylinder till late in the evening. The crime branch and IB officers were also seen rummaging through the debris. Railway Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria has formed a squad to crack the case.
