THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major security lapse, live explosives were found near the highly-secure Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple here on Sunday.
While the initial suspicion was that they were countrymade steel bombs, police sources said it was live factory-made ammunition which is suspected to be about 50 years old. It contained a trade mark 'Firex'.
The explosives were found in an unused pond at Sree Padam Palace premises, adjacent to the Padmanabha Swami temple's north entrance, where the Archaeology Survey of India's office is functioning. Workers engaged in cleaning the pond spotted a sack containing five heavy metal pipes by noon.
They immediately alerted the police and the Bomb Detection and Defusal Squad and subsequently, the explosives were defused. A spark from the suspected objects in between had triggered panic.
The incident led to suspicions of an underground sabotage attempt targeting the priceless wealth in temple vaults, which was ruled out by police.
Deputy Commission of Police (law and order) Kori Sanjaykumar Gurudin who visited the spot said that the explosives would be sent to the Forensic Science Lab for detailed analysis.
“It is too early to say whether there was any sabotage attempt. We have conducted a search in the pond and nearby area and did not find any access to the temple. Also there were no signs of any sabotage bids,” he said. The local police will register a case and a further probe will be conducted.
Police sources also said that the explosives were of low intensity. “We suspect that those were used by military forces of yesteryears to fire using cannons,” said a police official.
Spotting of the explosives near the Sree Padmanabha Swami temple raised many eyebrows as heavy security cover, including advanced electronic surveillance, was established at the temple following the revelations about the priceless treasure in the temple. Incidentally, the explosives were detected two days after a security drill was conducted at the temple.
