Bengaluru: A suspicious looking jute bag with some liquor in it, was enough to send the entire Bengaluru police force into a tizzy as they scrambled to the busy Sankey Road, just 300 metres from Kempegowda International Airport Road in the city Friday morning to ‘defuse a bomb.’
Ironically, the bomb threat came at a time when the top brass of the city police had moved to the new office building of the police commissioner and were discussing crime prevention.
The bag which created the trouble, was found near Cauvery Junction, one of the busiest traffic junctions in the city. A worried police commissioner, N.S. Megharikh, and senior officers rushed to the spot. Traffic was blocked and an intense check was conducted.
It could be a negligent act by someone, who kept the bag tied with a rope, behind an electric transformer but this was enough to trigger panic among residents of Sankey Road. More than 100 policemen cordoned off the area after some residents averred that there was an explosive inside. The sniffer squad and the bomb disposal squad were pressed into action.
After shifting the suspicious bag to a safe place, a member of the bomb disposal squad opened it and showed the thumbs up, signalling there was no explosive substance. The policemen were all smiles after they found it was a jar inside the bag that had about 30 ml of liquor in it and a sticker in Chinese.
“We did not find anything. There is no bomb. No explosive. No other suspicious material,” Mr Megharikh told reporters at the site. "However, police are taking all precautions and have put Bengaluru on "high alert", he said. The police chief appealed to people to alert cops if any suspicious object was found. It was just over a year ago that a low intensity blast claimed the life of a Chennai-based woman and injured several other people on the bustling Church Street in the heart of the city.
Two hours when Sankey Road was held captive!
A suspicious bag lying abandoned behind an electric transformer on Sankey Road near Cauvery Junction put the city police on their toes as it was suspected that it may contain explosives.
Around 11.30 am, Veerabhadra, who works as a car driver for a resident of Sankey Road, noticed a bag kept behind the transformer and got suspicious. It was a green colour jute bag tied using a rope. Veerabhadra immediately alerted the police control room. The cops from the nearby Sadashivanagar and Vyalikaval police stations rushed to the spot and examined the bag, but did not open it.
As a precautionary step, the police blocked vehicle movement on the entire stretch and cordoned off the area. They also informed the Bescom and directed the officials to disconnect power in the locality, as the bag was placed very close to the transformer. Also, the residents living in nearby buildings were evacuated to a safe distance. Soon, sniffer dog and bomb disposal squads rushed to the spot. The sniffer dogs did not identify any explosive in the bag.
However, they still did not want to take a chance. The police put sand bags on the road while the bomb disposal squad, clad in bomb disposal suit, picked up the suspicious bag and opened it with extreme care. As they opened the bag they found a jar containing a small quantity of liquid and a sticker on it. Something was written in Chinese on the sticker. After examining, they came to a conclusion that it was liquor.
By 1.45 pm, Police Commissioner N. S. Megharikh confirmed that no explosive substance was found in the bag. “There was a jar in which there was liquor and it will be sent for examination. Someone have randomly kept the bag there and left and it led to the panic,” he said.
Following the incident, the police stepped up in the security across the city. No case has been registered in this connection and the police have appealed to the public to inform them if they come across any suspicious objects.
Chief Minister, Home Minister gets info
As the incident led to panic, Chief Minister and Home Minister collected information from DG & IGP and the intelligence head. It is also said that even the officials of National Investigation Agency and Intelligence Bureau contacted the city police and got an update.
