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Shillong, Dec. 10: The Meghalaya police today recovered and defused around 4kg of improvised explosive device (IED) packed in a wooden box and abandoned close to a fish stall near Jowai police station in Jaintia Hills.
The area from where the IEDs were recovered is near the Meghalaya Transport Corporation bus stand. Eyewitnesses said the wooden box was found in the morning and the shopkeepers immediately reported the matter. After the whole area was cleared, the bomb disposal squad from Shillong rushed in and defused the explosives by 3pm.
The eyewitnesses said the box was dropped from a truck, which was carrying fish, along with other containers. The truck used to come every day from Barpeta in Assam to drop fish in Jowai.
The seized box contained gelatin sticks, detonators and a timer, along with marbles, iron nails and small pieces of iron.
Acting DGP B. Kezo said the police are trying to find out whether this is the handiwork of some group of criminals or militants.
“We will also have to look into the aspect of any rivalry between coal barons in Jaintia Hills,” Kezo said.
Jowai with its mixed population has become an area where there is largescale influx of people from outside the state and from Bangladesh.
Police said with a mixed population, Jowai has become a safe haven for criminals to operate freely.
Earlier there were reports of recovery of other types of explosives from parts of Jaintia Hills, but they were meant for blasting at lime stone mines.
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