Three bomb-like objects found in Imamganj

GAYA: Three bomb-like objects were found in the Maoist-hit Dumaria Imamganj region of Gaya district on Wednesday. Police believe it to a be a handiwork of the Maoists to create panic before the first phase of Lok Sabha elections to be held in four constituencies of Bihar, including Gaya and Aurangabad, on Thursday.
The Maoists have given poll boycott call in the region. Handwritten notes with the poll boycott call were also found near the places where the bomb-like objects were detected. Panic prevailed in the area for several hours as the news of some ‘explosives’ having been planted spread fast and wide.

City SP Sushil Kumar, who is in charge of the Maoist affected police stations of the district, said the bomb-like objects were placed at three different spots, including a school gate and in a culvert. The objects were found during a routine search operation to detect landmines in the region.

Poll parties have already been dispatched to the remote areas of the district. Confidence building measures have also been taken to boost the morale of the voters as well as the officials on election duty, Kumar said.

He said a bomb disposal squad found sand wrapped in such a way that it looked like an improvised explosive device (IED). Earlier, too, the Maoists had resorted to such gimmicks to cause scare. Whereas IEDs are planted at invisible points, these objects were deliberately placed at easily detectable spots.