DHANGADHI: At least five persons were injured in a bomb explosion at a local hotel near Shahid Gate in Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City-4 this evening, police said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Daksha Bahadur Basnet identified the injured persons as Laxman Serela, Ram Singh, Mobin Khan, Jitendra Yadav and Keshav Raj Pandey, hotel owner.

Among them, Ram Singh is said to be in critical condition. All of them are undergoing treatment at Maya Metro Hospital in the city, DSP Basnet shared.

Police have suspected that cadres affiliated to Netra Bikram Chand 'Biplav' led Communist Party of Nepal might have carried out the blast today. Police also recovered a pistol from the explosion site.

Meanwhile, an investigation into the case is underway, police said.