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Bomb scare in Malegaon; suspicious-looking box raises alarm
Special Correspondent
TENSE MOMENTS: A National Security Guard bomb squad examining a suspicious-looking box near Mohammedia Madrassa in Malegaon on Wednesday. After initial checks, the box was carted away amid sandbags. It was found that the box contained nothing but mud with a sprinkling of cracker powder.
MUMBAI: Malegaon heaved a sigh of relief on Wednesday when the National Security Guard (NSG) bomb squad found that a suspicious-looking box, found near Mohammedia Madrassa in the town, contained nothing but mud.
The object had created a scare in the town where 31 persons were killed and over a 100 wounded in bomb blasts last Friday.
A shopkeeper on his way to the mosque for afternoon prayers noticed the box lying about and informed the police picket nearby. The Mohammedia Complex has a madrassa and a mosque.
The police cordoned off the complex and kept people away. The neighbourhood was asked to switch off cell phones. Religious leaders went around using the public address system-mounted police vehicles, appealing to people to maintain calm and not to crowd and speculate.
Fortunately, all students of the Urdu Primary School near the mosque had left for home before the bomb scare.
The police put the box on the road and amidst sandbags. After the NSG's initial check, the box was carted away to an open school ground.
The box seemed to have wires and a battery.
Top police officers, including Inspector General P.K. Jain, Anti-Terrorist Squad chief Subodh Jaiswal and Nashik Rural Police Superintendent Rajwardhan rushed to the spot.
The ATS dismantled the device, first separating the battery cells and wires and then opened the box.
"It contained nothing but mud and whoever made it had also sprinkled on it cracker powder so our sniffer dog was getting a positive smell," Mr. Rajwardhan told The Hindu .
The police seized a box containing 11 gelatine sticks, five detonators and one revolver from an apartment in Indira Nagar of Nashik town.
This is the second such incident there since Monday last.
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