Hyderabad: A red alert has been sounded in the twin cities and neighbouring Ranga Reddy district and a strict vigil is being maintained at all places of worship in the wake of a bomb blast at a parking lot near Sai Baba temple on the city outskirts on November 21 night, killing a woman and injuring 20 others.

With the needle of suspicion pointing towards involvement of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agents to "foment communal trouble", special search teams have been formed to nab the culprits who had set off a time-bomb placed in a scooter parked near the boundary wall of the temple packed with devotees.

"We do not want to take any chance. All the vehicles leaving the city are being checked and the police in neighbouring districts are also put on high alert," a top police official said.

Meanwhile, the police on November 22 said a second bomb planted in a Maruti car parked nearby had failed to explode and it had since been defused.

As the blast ripped through the parking area of the temple, located barely a few yards away from Saroornagar police station, a temple worker Padmamma (40) was killed and 20 others received burn injuries and the condition of four of them was stated to be serious.

The city unit of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) called for bandh on November 22 even as the explosion triggered panic in the city.

PTI