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“Bombs” turn out to be crackers

Photo: Akhilesh Kumar

Bomb disposal squad examines the bomb-like objects later found to be crackers at Bankarpura village on the Chandigarh-Delhi national highway on Sunday.

CHANDIGARH: Five suspicious objects found this morning at Bankerpura in Derabassi area of Punjab, close to Chandigarh-Ambala-Delhi national highway turned out to be fire-crackers, a senior police official said.

“Big oval shaped crackers were found at small distances from the one originally found. We took no chances and summoned a forensic expert and a bomb disposal squad,” said Jatinder Singh Aulakh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Mohali, in whose jurisdiction the Bankerpura falls.

He said initially police had become suspicious that the crackers could be bombs because forensic expert had found small cycle balls inside them.

“However, on more scrutiny we found that these were large fire-crackers, possibly for use during forthcoming Dussehra or Diwali festivals,” Aulakh said.

For safety of the public, the police had picked up the crackers and kept them in adjoining open fields, where the forensic expert examined them.

Asked what could have been the purpose behind dumping them at small distances from each other, Aulkah said, “our suspicion is that after the Mehrauli blast in Delhi yesterday, there was intensive checking of vehicles in Derabassi and Zirakpur and some person carrying these in his vehicle may have tried to avoid being questioned about these and subsequently may have thrown them”.

He, however, said police would also investigate other angles in the case.

Earlier in the morning, panic had spread in the area after someone informed the police about these bomb-like objects. - PTI

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