Bomb-like device sparks fresh scare in Raigad, neutralised

Raigad, Nov 11 (IANS) A mysterious bomb-like device was detected under a bridge near Pen town in Raigad, which was safely neutralisedon Friday even as the incident sparked a fresh scare in the coastal district of Maharashtra.

According to police, the suspicious apparatus with a dozen gelatin sticks and linked with a timer and electric circuit, were found under a bridge on River Bhogavati at around 6 p.m. on Thursday.

As the discovery triggered alarms among the locals, the Raigad Police summoned the Bomb Detection & Disposal Squad (BDDS) from Navi Mumbai to investigate.

The BDDS team carried out a close examination, took the device to a deserted spot nearby and neutralised it by separating the gelatin sticks and the electrical circuit at around 2 a.m. on Friday.

Later, Superintendent of Police Somnath Gharge, who had rushed to spot with other senior officials, confirmed that the device was not an explosive nor connected to any detonator.

However, as a precaution the entire apparatus will be sent for a forensic analysis even as police teams are combing the neighbourhood of over a square km to probe how it came to be placed there, the persons and the motives behind it.