'Underworld, betting lobby behind B'lore blasts'

Bangalore, May 1: As more underworld links to the Indian premier League (IPL) are being unearthed, the Apr 17 blasts in Bangalore continue to be pinned to underworld elements and the betting lobby.

"The underworld normally has links with the betting lobby. Some elements wanted to scare away people and shift the two IPL semi-finals from the city to Mumbai," Karnataka Home Minister VS Acharya told the media on Friday, Apr 30.

The low intensity blasts near the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Stadium or the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, Apr 17 led to the delay of the Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians match by an hour.

The blasts raised questions on the security cover at the stadium and the possibility of terror threat to the IPL matches being held at Bangalore.

On Sunday, Apr 18, the Karnataka police and other investigative officers found more explosive devices and raw materials.

The semi-finals were therefore shifted out of Bangalore to Mumbai.

From the beginning, the state home minister has been saying the betting lobby was behind the blast as it wanted the semi finals to be played in Mumbai.

The state home minister's continued assertion that comes amid the reports that the underworld don Dawood Ibrahim has been plotting to eliminate former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi.

OneIndia News