A bomb blast at a village in Murshidabad killed a youth while a bomb-making unit was unearthed by police in Cooch Behar on Saturday.

Sources said that on Saturday morning, a blast erupted in a jute field in Majjampur-Baganpara village under Beldanga police station. Villagers found a severely injured person at the site of the blast with at least 50 socket bombs strewn around him.

Injured Alim Sheikh, 30, was rushed to the Beldanga block hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

“Alim Sheikh lived in Kapasdanga, around 8km away from the village where the blast occurred. He was known for his expertise in making crude bombs and was hired by Trinamul to make bombs ahead of rural polls,” alleged Safiujjaman Sheikh, a former MLA and a Congress leader of Beldanga.

A police team rushed to the spot. The bomb disposal squad was called to neutralise the explosives, said sources.

Residents suspected two-three others were making socket bombs at the spot with Alim, but they managed to escape.

Hasanujjaman, the Trinamul MLA of Beldanga, said: “The person who died has no link with our party."

Surinder Singh, the SP of Murshidabad police district, said a probe was on.

In Cooch Behar, Sitai police raided Morebhanga-Adabari village on Saturday and found a crude bomb manufacturing unit. Santosh Das and Surat Das were arrested for making bombs. The unit was running at Santosh’s house, said Kumar Sunny Raj, the ASP of Cooch Behar.

The police seized 70 empty containers of tobacco, iron splinters, iron balls, marbles, chocolate bombs, iron pins, jute strings and three crude bombs, said sources.