'Anoop was the one who rented the house, did not see anything suspicious in the house'; house owner responds to explosion in Kannur

KANNUR: House owner Devi has responded to the explosion at the rented house in Keezhara, Kannapuram. Speaking to the media, Devi said that the house was rented by Anoop Malik. She said that she did not know Muhammad Asham, who was killed in the blast, and that she had not noticed anything suspicious when she visited the house. She added that Anoop had introduced himself as someone running a spare parts shop in Payyannur, and that he always paid the rent on time.

"I had gone to check the house before the monsoon started. It was kept very neat and clean. I had put up a board saying the house was for rent. That is how Anoop came to take the house," Devi said.

Meanwhile, the Crime Branch will investigate the incident in which one person was killed in the explosion. A special team led by the District Crime Branch will investigate the case. Police have registered a case against Anoop, who rented the house. The case is under the Explosives Act. Anoop used to supply fireworks in large quantities for festivals. He is an accused in the 2016 case, where explosives had gone off at a house in Podikundu, Kannur.

The explosion took place at around 2 am on Saturday. The house was completely destroyed in the blast. Two people had been staying there. They usually came at night and left in the early morning. The impact of the blast also damaged nearby houses. Doors were broken, and cracks appeared on the walls of several houses.