Explosive device planted in church defused

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, MAY 28. An improvised explosive device (IED) which was planted in a church in Vikarabad town was defused this morning, thanks to timely detection by people attending the prayers.

The device, with a timer, was kept underneath a bench in the prayer hall. The church authorities informed the police who rushed to the spot and defused the bomb, an official spokesman of the Office of the Director-General of Police said here. ``But for the timely detection of the device, the consequences would have been fatal,'' he said.

He said similar designs of anti-social elements were noticed in religious places at Vijayawada and Machilipatnam, cutting across religious lines. ``In all places, IEDs with timers have been put to use. The timer mechanism, akin to an unit, normally found on the back of the wall clock has been used in all the three places,'' he said.

He appealed to people attending prayers as also the organisers to watch out for persons moving suspiciously near the places of worship and congregations and ascertain their identity.

Likewise, unidentified persons entering the places of worship asking for water, etc, should also be monitored.

The spokesman wanted people to look out for any unclaimed bags kept in corners of prayer halls or places where a large number of people were likely to gather.

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