Panic spread through Raigad district after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was found in a State Transport bus on Wednesday night.
The Rasayani police said that the driver and the conductor of the bus, which plies from Karjat to Apta every day, spotted the IED after reaching Apta at 10.15 p.m.
Anil Paraskar, Superintendent of Police, Raigad Police, said, “The bus halts at Apta every night and then returns to Karjat the next morning. On Wednesday night, after all the passengers had alighted at Apta, the driver and the conductor carried out a routine check in the bus to see if passengers had left behind any luggage. They then noticed a white cloth bag lying on one of the seats. They found a device with wires and circuits wrapped in plastic inside the bag.”
The driver and the conductor immediately called the police control room and alerted them about the device. The information was instantly relayed to the Rasayani police station and a team of personnel was rushed to the spot. After conducting preliminary inspection, the Rasayani police called the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) to defuse the bomb and the Quick Response Team to help them with crowd control.
An officer with the Rasayani police said, “The BDDS defused the bomb and took the device with them to conduct tests. After they declared the area safe, we contacted the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) and they sent several teams to conduct inquiries in Raigad.”
Teams from the ATS and the Raigad police are conducting inquiries at all locations where the bus halts on its regular route.
Sources said that footage from CCTV cameras installed along the route are being scanned to look for suspects. Inquiries are being conducted with history-sheeters and criminal elements in the district.
The officer said prima facie the IED seems to have been put together using a urea-based powder and electrical circuits, which could be activated using a remote detonator. The officer said that the device has been sent for forensic examination and the test reports are awaited.
‘Assembled by experts’
Mr. Paraskar said, “We can not comment on the composition of the device till we receive the final forensic reports. We have registered an offence of negligent conduct with respect to explosive substances under the Indian Penal Code. We have also registered an offence against unknown persons for making or keeping explosives with intent to endanger life or property under the Explosive Substances Act.”
A source who is part of the investigation said, “We are working on assessing the damage the device could have caused if it would have exploded. We have received confirmation that some elements of the IED could have been assembled only by experts. The rest of the device was put together in a semi-crude fashion.”
