Live grenade found in Haveri exploded safely

HAVERI: Thanks to the timely intervention by police in handling a rusted live grenade, a big mishap was averted in Haveri city. The live hand grenade was found on Thursday, and the bomb-detection and disposal squad defused it at the Hombaradi firing area on Friday.
What the police had initially thought to be a low-intensity blast, turned out to be a much bigger explosion, shocking the officials present during operation.
According to police, if the grenade had exploded where it was found, at least 15-20 people could have been killed. After the blast, its remnants were sent to the forensic lab to ascertain its age and other details.
"Initially, we were not serious about the hand grenade because it was too old and rusted. Moreover, the grenade had leaked, and its lock had not opened. But when it exploded, we realised it was of high intensity," said N R Kate, circle police inspector in charge of Haveri town police station.
Additional superintendent of police Vijayakumar Santosh said: "After the blast, we sent all its parts and sought an FSL report regarding the grenade. The report will have details about its age, intensity among others. It may be too old, but it was live. Luckily, nothing happened," he added.
The live grenade was found at an open site owned by Shivabasappa Mushti in Netaji Nagar.