Police seizes suspicious package, finds firecrackers

Mumbai: In what is the second hoax scare in the past two days in Mumbai, railway security went into a tizzy Wednesday after a suspicious package with contents that resembled the components of a bomb was found inside the Shalimar Express at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT).

The Mumbai police’s Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) went into overdrive, checking the seized object with wires only to discover that it was a bundle of firecrackers.

Just a day before, a red alert was sounded in Navi Mumbai after messages in support of the Islamic State (IS) were found inscribed on the pillar of a flyover at Khopate in Uran.

The incident at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus took place around 9 am, soon after which the police cordoned off the area around the package found inside a bag.

The officials said that they also found a letter alongside the package, which had scribbled on it “Keep this packet here; next time will carry on from here” and a mobile phone number.

The police said that the bag was found when the outstation train had already reached its destination i.e. LTT and was being cleaned. The police said that they  are trying to ascertain when exactly the bag was kept inside the train.

“Bomb detection and disposal squad, Tilak Nagar police and the railway police thoroughly checked the object and found that it contained firecrackers (pipe-shaped). Our bomb detection and disposal squad  team and local officers are thoroughly investigating the matter,” said Manjunath Singe, Mumbai police spokesperson.

The officials said that the scare persisted since the five to six inches’ pipe-like material had two small wires of around seven to eight inches, with a small sized diffused battery attached to it.

At first sight, the object resembled a bomb and the sorrounding area had to be evacuated. The bomb detection and disposal squad  arrived at the spot and cordoned off the area and verified the objects.

The objects have been sent for forensic analysis, the officials said. The state anti-terrorism squad is also investigating the incident. Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai police is probing the IS-related messages that were found inscribed on the pillar of a flyover at Uran. The police has launched a manhunt for the persons who scribbled them in support of the terror outfit’s leader and fighters apart from drawing pictures of rockets.