May 6: Police ferreted out an improvised explosive device from a public bus at Changsari on the outskirts of the city this morning.

The bomb made of polynitrate — an explosive substance — was found in the luggage space above a passenger seat of the bus, which was on its way from Tamulpur in Baksa district to Adabari in the city. Three persons, including the handyman and the person sitting on a seat below the overhead luggage rack from where the bomb was found, have been detained.

A police officer said they were acting on specific information. “We received information early this morning that a consignment of explosives was to arrive at Adabari bus stand from Lower Assam and accordingly we had beefed up checking on the entry road to the city,” he said.

He said security forces were on alert on the highway as well as on the river route leading to the city since the past few days with intelligence reports suggesting that Ulfa was trying to sneak in explosives to the city.

On April 8, the police seized 30 high explosive grenades along with 30 detonators from an autorickshaw near the Bhutan bus stand at Rangia in Kamrup (metro) district. The consignment was being brought to the city from Darranga mela in the foothills of Bhutan.

“This morning our informer provided us with the number of the particular bus in which today’s consignment was coming. We intercepted the bus at Changsari around 9am and seized the bomb,” the officer said.

He said the police could have apprehended the person who was supposed to collect the bomb at Adabari bus stand but did not take the risk of allowing the bus to enter the city with the bomb inside.

“We have identified the person who was supposed to collect the bomb and looking out for him,” he said.

The officer said the person who was supposed to collect the bomb was probably a new recruit of the militant outfit because his name did not figure in the list of militants we have.

“He probably fled after being tipped off that the bomb had been seized. We have checked his background and found no police records,” he said.

Arrested Ulfa leader Nirmal Konwar had revealed during interrogation that the outfit has been carrying out operation-specific recruitment in recent times and these new recruits were provided short-term training courses on specific jobs.

Konwar, the second in command of Ulfa’s 27 battalion, was apprehended from a nursing home along with his wife.

“The would-be bomb collector could be one such recruit trained to plant bombs,” the officer said.