Bomb scare in Delhi, prank says police

Bag containing powder, pencil batteries and wires found outside a women's college

Bomb scare in Delhi, prank says police

Bag containing powder, pencil batteries and wires found outside a women's college

Five days after a crude bomb exploded outside Delhi High Court, a suspected explosive found near Gargi College on Monday afternoon triggered alarm. Luckily, a IInd year student of the college informed cops and the matter was brought under control without a major occurrence.

Stay alert: A policeman walks past the bus stand near Gargi college
where the bag was found. PIC/Imtiyaz Khan

Incident took place when the students were coming out of college after appearing in exam. The bag was detected at a bus stand near the college on Khel Gaon Marg in south Delhi at around noon.

The girl, Neha (name changed) was waiting for her bus when she noticed the bag lying behind her. Smelling a rat she rushed towards a nearby-stationed PCR van to inform cops about the suspicious object. Two police constables Rajesh and Rajender Prasad were on duty and were the first to be informed by Neha about the bag. PCR personnel informed Hauz Khas police station at around 11.55am.

Bomb disposal squads and forensic experts rushed to the spot and collected samples. Police cordoned off the area where the admission process was on in the college and there were a number of students. According to an eyewitness, "It was a small bag and police came here and took it away." Hukum Chand the lab assistant of Gargi College said that bomb disposal squad personnel suffered burn injuries after a small fire broke out while they were handling the bag.

Meanwhile, Delhi police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat called it a mischief by someone. "It was not a bomb. There was some grey-coloured powder inside the package and we have sent it to a forensic lab. There is no device found in the package that can explode. No detonator or splinters have been recovered," he said.u00a0

On Paper
A newspaper dated May 1 was found behind the car near which a bomb had exploded outside the Delhi HC. May 1 was the day when Osama bin Laden's killing was confirmed in the newspapers. Even though investigators are not linking the presence of the newspaper with the blast, it can't be ruled out that Indian Mujahideen (IM) who have claimed responsibility for the Jama Masjid blast considered Osama bin Laden as their ideal.