The bomb he planted at Mangaluru’s International Airport was the result of a grudge he has been holding against airport authorities who denied him a job in 2018. From an engineering and management graduate with top multi-nationals in the resume, to becoming a terror suspect, Aditya Rao’s story has been fascinating even for the police questioning him.
Two days after planting an explosive device at Mangaluru airport, Rao surrendered before the Bengaluru police on Wednesday, 22 January. His interrogation that began at 9 pm the same night has now revealed the series of events that led to Rao placing the explosive device.
A Lucrative Corporate Career
The first chapter in the story was his inability to work in closed air-conditioned spaces.
Sharing the details of the interrogation of the suspect, Mangaluru police commissioner PS Harsha said the man in their custody was highly educated and leading a good career, with degrees in mechanical engineering and MBA in marketing.
“In the early years of his career, he had worked in the insurance sector, with many major multinationals like ICICI Lombard, HSBC, HDFC and Birla Sunlife. But then, he told us that he began developing health issues because of working in air-conditioned, closed environments. He decided to look for job that would take him outdoors,” said Harsha.
Instead of banking, Rao decided to use his mechanical engineering degree to get a job, and soon joined Kamadenu auto CNC in Bengaluru’s Peenya. But he grew unhappy with the job and left it in three months.
Rao wanted to join a big multinational, and, eventually, he came across a job opening in a Toyota factory in the outskirts of Bengaluru.
“But to make sure he gets this job, he forged some documents. He got a job because of his performance in the interview, but when he realised the company is methodical in verifying his antecedents and documents, he left that job”PS Harsha, Mangaluru police commissioner
From White Collar to Blue Collar
When the attempts to work in other technology platforms failed, he decided to take up blue collar jobs. “He told us that he worked as a security guard at MITE Moodbidri, State Bank of Mysore and several other places. Then he moved on to working in restaurants. Free food and accommodation became his immediate priority. After moving cities, he later returned to Bengaluru and started working in restaurants here as well” the officer added.
The Big Opportunity at the Airport
It was during his unhappy phase working blue collar jobs that he learnt about an opening at the Bengaluru International Airport in the security department. Since it offered a lucrative Rs 25,000 salary and was job that interested him, he applied.
However, the employers here were hesitant as he was overqualified for this job.
“In an attempt to get rid of him, the airport authorities asked him to get affidavits made from his hometown. When he returned to Bengaluru after getting these documents, he was told the vacancy was filled,” said Harsha.
And that was when Rao developed a grudge towards airport authorities, he told the police.
Haunting Airport Authorities
In the months that followed, Rao carefully studied the roles of different officials at the Bengaluru international airport and began making threat calls to them.
He was caught in 2018 and was imprisoned for 11 months.
On his release in the second half of 2019, his grudge against airport authorities had only increased.
He decided to move on from making hoax calls to making a bomb. He began studying about making explosive devices in the months that followed.
“Over this period of time, he gained sufficient knowledge on the working mechanisms and substances used in explosive devices,” the commissioner said.
After learning about bomb making, he began procuring raw materials. Initially, he went to retailers and open markets to procure these materials. But upon realising that it could draw attention to him, he went on some e-retail outlets to source the different components.
Making of the Bomb
On deciding that he would place a bomb at the Mangaluru airport, he moved to the coastal city in early December 2019. He took up a job as a waiter at one Kudla bar and restaurant in the city.
“[After] all components were ordered to the address of this bar and at the accommodation, he began assembling these components to make the (Improvised Explosive) device (IED),” Harsha said.
It was only after a prolonged period of experimentation that he was confident that he could make an IED. But once it was ready, wary of being caught, he left the job at the bar and shifted to Karkala in Udupi.
The D-Day
The decision to plant bomb at the airport on 20 January was made a day earlier when he was confident about the device he had made.
On 20 January, he left for Mangaluru city and from there, he took another bus to the airport.
“To be cautious, he got out of the bus half through the journey and disposed the large bag in which he was carrying the device (IED), to avoid attention. He took a route that he had already studied and planted the device at the airport,” the commissioner added.
Police are yet to get a clear answer on whether the IED not having a triggering mechanism was a deliberate decision or just a shoddy job. According to them, further questioning will give the answer. As of now, police have booked cases under three section of Explosives Act.
Rao has also been booked under section 18 of Prevention of Unlawful Activities act, for conspiring and attempting to commit a terrorist act or any act preparatory to the commission of a terrorist act. If proven guilty, he could get a punishment extending up to life imprisonment.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)