GAIGHAT: The United Ethnic Regional Forum — a little known armed underground outfit — has detonated a bomb in front of the residence of Mahesh Regmi, chairman of Construction Entrepreneurs’ Association, here in Gaighat of Udayapur yesterday

night. The bomb was exploded after Regmi denied giving in to the group’s demand

of donation.

According to local residents, the bomb went off at around 12 o’clock at midnight. Though the explosion did not cause any human casualties, nearby houses were partly damaged.

Following the blast, Agni, who identified himself as the assistant in-charge of Khambuwan division of the group, took responsibility. Talking over the telephone, he said that they had exploded the bomb as a warning to Regmi as he had spied on their activities and failed to cooperate while approaching him for donation.

In another incident, traffic along Nepaltar-Murkuchi was disrupted after the group warned that a bomb was placed on the road today morning.

The underground outfit, which has been claiming to have begun armed struggle, has intensified its activities in the region with extortion demand to the local businessmen and entrepreneurs saying for accumulating weapons and strengthening its organisation.

In order to terrorise local residents, workers of the group had also placed bombs in front of Triyuga Medical Hall the residence of a local timber entrepreneur in Gaighat last month.