New IndPress
Bangalore, Jul 22: Even as hoax bomb calls have been keeping the city police on their toes, especially after the serial blasts in Mumbai, alarm bells began ringing on Thursday night when a suspicious object found in a BMTC bus proved to be a real one.
The Bomb Disposal Squad defused the explosive, which was first noticed by a BMTC conductor under the last seat of the bus at the Kempe Gowda Bus Terminal in Majestic.
The police said that the conductor of the bus, (route number-87) Devaraj, noticed the abandoned object around 10.45 pm as he was about to change the route-board. The bus had reached the terminal from RPC Layout and was to leave on another route after the nearly 40 passengers had alighted.
According to the police, Devaraj noticed a suspicious-looking package and informed the bus terminal's security officer, who took out the object and left it on a bench at platform no.1. He was initially under the impression that it could have something to do with black magic.
However, some wires on the object aroused his suspicions and he informed the sniffer dog squad, which had inspected the terminal just minutes before. When the dogs detected explosive content in the box, an alarm was sounded and the bomb disposal squad arrived along with senior police officers and BMTC officials.
The bomb, comprising 300 grams of gelatin and potassium powder, which were connected with a six inch long wire, was taken to an isolated spot and defused. Sources said that glass pieces were also placed inside the bomb, probably to act as shrapnel.
City police Commissioner N Achuta Rao said that there was no need to panic and assured that security had been tightened at all important places.
Speaking to this website's newspaper, DCP West K V Sharat Chandra said that the motive behind planting the crude explosive was yet to be ascertained. “The explosive was a crude one and could have caused little damage.
The sniffer dog squad had been checking at important public places in Majestic area. The particles have been sent to Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis,” he said.
Sharat Chandra said that it difficult to ascertain at which point the bomb had been planted as the bus had plied several routes before reaching Majestic.
He said that as a precautionary measure, announcements were being made in the Railway station and both bus terminals in Majestic, appealing to the public to alert police about suspicious objects and people.