Guwahati: A major disaster at Guwahati Railway station was averted on Friday when security forces recovered a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) weighing 10 kilograms from a gunny bag booked as parcel in Railway Mail Service.
The Bomb Disposal Squad of the special branch of the Assam Police, which confirmed it to be an IED, has taken the gunny bag to an isolated area to dispose the bomb by exploding it.
Police said that investigation has revealed that parcel was booked at Guwahati general post office for Silchar and brought to railway station on Thursday.
"This morning when we were sorting the bags according to their destinations, we heard a clock ticking sound from one of the bags bound for Silchar. A home guard immediately isolated the bag and informed the Railway Police," an official of the Railway Mail service said.
The railway bag was scanned at the general post office. Police and other security forces have now started to sweep the entire railway station with sniffer dogs and bomb detectors.
Security sources said that the IED had potential to cause a serious damage but tragedy was averted due to timely detection.
Security sources said that this was first of its kind incident when miscreants have used parcel services to do the explosion. “We are looking into all the possibilities,” a senior police officer said.
Meanwhile, union minister of state for railways Rajen Gohain said that alertness of the railways police has averted this tragedy.
"We are going to step up security measures further at Guwahati Railway station which caters to passengers travelling to entire Northeastern states," said Mr Gohain.
