Live bomb found at Mumbai rly station

There was panic in Mumbai's Byculla area after some material used for making explosives was found at the Byculla railway station.

An unidentified object was found in the gents' restroom at the station and was taken to the Girgaum Chowpatty area where it was confirmed as an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) . The bomb disposal squad diffused the bomb at Girgaum in a explosion/defusal process.

When the bomb went off, the sound was no different from a fire cracker. But had it gone off at the gents' restroom at the Byculla station, it would have undoubtedly reverberated not just the in the city, but across the country - much like the blasts in Varanasi.

But following an intelligence tip-off recieved by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS), meticulous action was taken and a possible tale of terror prevented.

How did it all happen?

• At about 1000 hrs (IST), Mumbai police zero in at the Byculla station, looking for the suspected bomb.
• All operations on platforms 1 and 2 are halted and the station is cleared immediately.
• At 1040 hrs (IST), the bomb is recovered, quarantined with sand bags an brought to the Girgaun chopatty in one of the police vans.The bomb disposal squad member digs a deep pit and places the IED in it. Then, it is set off.

After the bomb is set off, the bomb disposal squad looked for splinters and other evidence that would be crucial to prove where the explosive came from.

And even though the threat is similar to the Varanasi blasts is many ways, the police say it too early to draw any connections.

Commissioner, Mumbai Police, A N Roy, says, "One cannot say there is a connection. It is just that the same explosive was used - 2 Kgs of Amonium Nitarte."

However, the man who carried out the operation, Shankar Pandare, a bomb disposal expert, takes no credit for averting the terror: "Kya explosive hai woh bad mein pata chalega, meine bas kam kardiya." (What kind of explosives were used will be revealed later. I have only done my job.)

What's creditable is that this is the third time that the ATS has been able to keep terror at bay....