The NIA has requested to take over the Bhubaneswar blast investigation to explore potential terror connections and the possible use of high-grade explosives like RDX.
The NIA on Monday formally requested the police to hand over the investigation into the blast in Bhubaneswar in January that left two persons dead, officials said.
The central agency wrote to Police Commissioner S Dev Datta Singh seeking transfer of the case for a detailed probe into a possible terror angle behind the explosion that took place at Azad Nagar in the Airfield police station area on January 27, they said.
The NIA intends to examine possible links to larger criminal networks and ascertain whether high-grade explosives such as RDX were used in the blast, they added.
The BhubaneswarCuttack Commissionerate Police, which is currently investigating the case, had earlier said four persons were injured when the prime suspect, Shahnawaz Malik (26), a history-sheeter, was allegedly assembling an explosive device on the rooftop of a rented house.
Malik and a woman identified as Lizatun Bibi later succumbed to their burn injuries, while two others survived, police said.
Investigators had seized incriminating materials, including explosive residues, from the site.
"Though it is suspected that Malik may have used high-grade explosive material, it is yet to be confirmed whether RDX was used," an officer said.
An NIA team had visited the blast site in January and examined forensic evidence and CCTV footage as part of a preliminary inquiry.