Mumbai Crime: Suspected IED found near Navi Mumbai school

Pic courtesy/Vinod Kumar Menon

A suspected Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was found near a school on Monday in Kalamboli in neighbouring Navi Mumbai. Police were alerted after a watchman spotted the suspected explosive fitted with electric wiring and an attached battery, kept on a handcart near a gate of New Sudhagad School, an official said.

A team of Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and a dog squad discovered a concrete block with four electric wirings connected with a 12-volt battery and analog watch in a box, he said, adding that a can containing five-litre petrol was also found near the device.

According to the police, the BDDS team has disassociated the wirings and battery and have penetrated the block up to three inches, where they found cement only. He said police will drill the block up to six inches with specialised equipment. "As of now, we cannot confirm whether the concrete
the block has an explosive inside or not, but it looks like an IED," said Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar.

The device was connected with the analog watch where timing can be fixed only for 12 hours, he said. "We are also taking help of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) team which has been called from Telgaon training centre," he said. Another officer stated the efforts are underway to find out the kind of material filled inside the concrete block. "If we find cement after penetrating the block upto six inches, then we will try to defuse it by blasting," he
said. The block weighs around 50 kg and if we find that it contained only cement then it will be viewed as a case of prank to scare people, he added. The cops are also investigating and looking at CCTVs installed in the school premises as well as nearby areas to identify person (s) who might have planted the box there.

Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from PTI

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