An explosion in a locked house at Gondapar Islamnagar locality in Bihar's Nawada on Tuesday created panic among residents and sent the district administration into a tizzy.

The blast brought down the walls of the front portion of the building, which is located close to an Idgah.

Police said the house belongs to Yasmeen Khatoon, who has rented it to a family, which was not present at the time of the incident. It had gone to attend a wedding.

“We got information on Dial 112 about a fire at a locked house in Gondapar Islamnagar mohalla at around 1am. The fire brigade rushed to the place and brought the flames under control. An inspection of the place revealed the incident to be, prima facie, a case of bomb blast,” the police said.

“The place of occurrence has been sealed and the forensic science team and the dog squad has been called in. An FIR has been registered and investigations have started. A woman has been detained and is being questioned,” the police added.

Khatoon said: “Neither our family nor the people to whom we had rented out a portion of our house on the ground floor were present at the time of the blast. The matter is of concern because the gas cylinders kept in another room are intact. Either someone had kept a bomb here or had stored materials to make one."

Senior officials, including Nawada district magistrate Udita Singh  and superintendent of police Ambrish Rahul, have inspected the blast site.