A dummy bomb was found at a dumping ground in Borivali on Monday, just as the panic over the explosion in Mira Road and the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) found in Raigad district is still subsiding.
According to the Borivali police, local residents spotted a suspicious object at the ground around 8.45 a.m. and reported it to the police. A team of police personnel, along with the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad, reached the spot and found it to be a dummy bomb made of plastic, the kind that is used in film shoots.
Rohit Shinde, a guard who was on duty at the dumping ground, said, “The area was cordoned off and no one was allowed near the spot. It was only later that we came to know that it was actually a dummy made of plastic.”
Rumour-mongers, however, swung into action, and within a couple of hours social media was rife with reports of “one more bomb” being found in Gorai. The message was forwarded widely, including to people outside the city, leading to panic and concern.
Senior police inspector Laxman Dumbre, Borivali police station, said, “There are no CCTV cameras around the spot where the device was found. We have made a diary entry regarding the incident and are looking into the matter.”
Sources said given the current atmosphere, the possibility of antisocial elements placing the dummy at the spot purposely to create panic could not be denied. “As the spot is a dumping ground, it is equally possible that it was simply discarded there by someone. We are conducting inquiries in the area to find out if anyone saw the dummy being placed or discarded at the spot,” a police officer said.
The incident comes close on the heels of two similar ones this month. On February 20, a small crudely made explosive was detonated outside a hotel in Mira Road. The bomb, made from plastic balls, a jute fuse and a plastic bottle, did not cause any damage to property or life. The Kashimira police are conducting investigations into the incident.
The same night, an IED was found aboard a State Transport bus that had travelled from Karjat to Apta village in Raigad. Inquiries revealed that the IED was initially placed on an Alibaug-Karjat bus and was mistakenly taken to the other bus by the driver during his change of shift, who thought it was part of the conductor’s belongings. The matter is being investigated by the Raigad police and Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad.