Crude bomb found inside bus near Panvel just a day after one explodes

The crude bomb was found inside a plastic bag on a state transport bus at Apta village depot. Pics/Rajesh Gupta

Just a day after a crude bomb went off on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway near Dahisar's Thakur Mall, an improvised explosive device (IED) was recovered from a state transport bus at Apta village near Panvel on Wednesday night after the vehicle reached the depot. In view of these two incidents, security forces have been put on high alert across the state.

The ST bus, which plies between Karjat and Apta villages, reached the bus depot around 10.15 pm on Wednesday after dropping all passengers. More than an hour later, the bus conductor PP Mendake noticed a white plastic bag while he was checking the vehicle before leaving for the day. He immediately picked it up and kept it on a bench outside.

Speaking to mid-day, Mendake said, "There were 16 passengers till Apta yesterday. When I spotted the bag, I kept it outside and checked the bus to find out whether the bag's owner had left some thing behind which would help identify the person. A couple of youngsters, who were waiting at the depot, told me that the contents of the bag looked suspicious. On opening it I found a device weighing approximately 3-4 kg wrapped in wires. I immediately informed my senior, who then called the Rasayani police. Thereafter, the cops arrived along with the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and ATS, and defused the bomb."

Cops cordoned off the area after the IED was recovered at the spot

One of the youths, Ganesh Tiwari, who was there at the spot, had checked the device and told the conductor that it was a dangerous one. "The way the device was packed it looked very unusual. I immediately told the conductor that something was wrong with it. Since the time the bomb was defused, none of us have been able to sleep." Confirming the development, Superintendent of Police, Anil Paraskar, said, "Most likely the bomb, which was almost 3 kg, contains urea.

The forensic laboratory will soon confirm it." He further said, "We have registered a case against an unknown person. The BDDS, dog squad, ATS and local cops are all working on it."

Meanwhile, Pandurang Mayabhil, sarpanch of Apta village, said, "This is the first time something like this has happened in our area. It's scary to even think what would have happened if a blast had taken place while the passengers were inside the bus.

A couple of HSC students from our area travel to Panvel for college, but instead of going via bus, all of them hired rickshaws yesterday." Inspector General Naval Bajaj said, "All the teams are working to find out who the culprit is. We have alerted everyone in the main areas of the district."

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