Police check a bus for explosives after Thursday’s escape bid by Bera in which he used bombs supplied by an accomplice.

Karna Bera was on Friday produced with 20 times more security in the very Contai court from where he had tried to break out blasting and firing a day earlier before a snagged bike halted the alleged killer and robber’s escape.

Bera was brought along with co-ccused Ratikanta Mondal from the Contai police station which, sources said, had received a call on Thursday night threatening to blow up the building if the two suspects were not released.

Both had their faces covered and were handcuffed, unlike on Thursday when they only had ropes tied around their waists which had managed to take off before attempting the breakout. They were surrounded by about two dozen policemen when they brought in and taken out of the court.

Bera, accused of several dacoities and the murder of a constable, had unleashed a hail of bullets and bombs slipped to him by an accomplice.

Three of Bera’s accomplices, including two undertrials, escaped on the motorcycle which did not initially kick-start but did so later. Two policemen were seriously injured, hit by the bomb shrapnel and bullets fired by Bera on his way out.

On Friday, taking precaution against a second escape attempt, about 100 policemen were deployed in and around the court complex. The number was five on Thursday.

Although police sources said the police station had got a call threatening to blow up the building, additional superintendent of police (rural), Indrajit Basu, who was present in court on Friday, denied receiving any such call.

“We did not receive any threat call, but we took extra measures today to prevent a recurrence of what happened yesterday. We deployed more than 100 men today. We are still in search of the two undertrials who escaped yesterday.”

A police officer said, “We have also identified the outsider who had supplied bombs and guns to Karna Bera. We are searching for him.”

Bera and Mondal were remanded to judicial custody by additional chief judicial magistrate Jagat Jyoti Bhattacharya and their case will be heard again on November 1. They have been lodged at Contai sub-correctional home.

They were freshly charged under provisions of Arms Act, Explosives Substances Act and also section 307 of the IPC (attempt to murder) among other things.

Police sources said that as part of the security arrangements, policemen searched buses and other vehicles passing the court area and national highway-116B that connects Nandakumar with Digha looking for bombs and arms.

“We also installed a metal detector at the main entrance of the court and searched those entering the complex. People were not allowed to use two other side entrances,” a police officer said. Unsettled by Thursday’s events, two bar associations of the court held separate meetings on Friday and demanded stepping up security in the court complex and installation of CCTV.