Furniture and other items inside the office were damaged in the explosion. (Express photo)A major explosion tore apart the office of the Maharashtra state Forest Department at Paud when nearly 90 handmade bombs, seized from poachers and stored in the office, went off in the early hours of Wednesday. No casualties were reported as the office was closed at the time.
According to Pune Rural Police, the incident took place around 4 am at the rented office in Paud, nearly 30 km from Pune city.
“These handmade bombs have explosive powder and small stones, and are used for the illegal hunting of wild boars. Around 90 such bombs were seized from Tamhini Wildlife Sanctuary by forest officials. While a case was filed, these bombs were stored at the forest department’s rented office in Paud,” said Inspector Ashok Dhumal of Paud police station.
“Around 4 am, nearly 90 such bombs went off due to some unknown reason. The explosion could have been triggered because of rodents, or due to improper storage and heat conditions. The intensity of the blast was high and could have proved fatal if any humans had been around. The blast could be heard even from a distance. A probe has been launched. A team from the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad is expected to give us a primary report,” added Dhumal.
The impact of the blast was so severe that the two shutters of the office were hurled several feet away and furniture and other items inside the office were damaged. A portion of the wall also sustained cracks. Forest officials said an
inquiry would be conducted into the incident.
The handmade bombs, most of them the size of ping pong balls, were seized from two women in October last year. Forest officials said the women were part of a group of poachers which was active in Tamhini sanctuary and were also selling the flesh and body parts of wild boars.
The women have been charged under the Wildlife Act and their trial is currently underway. Police are looking for their accomplices.
“The bombs were the size of ping pong balls and were made by wrapping explosive powder and small stones in pieces of rubber. Over 90 such bombs, which were seized last October, were kept in a box at the Paud office of the forest department, which is a rented property. It seems that the entire box acted as one single bomb, leading to a big explosion. These handmade bombs are used by poachers for killing wild boars and other wildlife. The bombs are packed in such a way that when the wild animal chews it, it explodes, instantly killing the animal,” said a forest department official from Tamhini range.
Range Forest Officer for Tamhini range, Ankita Tarde, could not be contacted in spite of repeated attempts. Another senior officer said the inquiry by the forest department would look into whether there was negligence on the part of any officials.
