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Thursday, July 31, 2008
Close shave: Modi passes by live bomb
In a shocking lapse of security, three more bombs were recovered here on Wednesday within hours of chief minister Narendra Modi visiting the location in the heart of the city's diamond district of Varachha. Modi enjoys a security cover that has been upgraded to the level given of the prime minister.
For a state that's already alarmed at the security situation as more and more unexploded bombs are being discovered, it was scary that one of the bombs was found barely 20 metres from where Modi was about an hour back.
The same boat-shaped explosives in green plastic bags had been tied to a vertical drainage pipe and another was found hanging from a tree. The pipe ran between Kishan and Khodiyar shopping complexes and was spotted by shop owner Ranchhod Makwana.
Modi, along with an entourage of ministers and top city officials, had passed through this area at around 8.30 am. The second bomb was recovered in the evening hanging from a mango tree near Utsav Hotel in Varachha. Since Sunday, 22 bombs live bombs have been recovered and defused in Surat, of which 16 have been recovered from Varachha.
The chief minister was holding a meeting with senior officers in the police commissioner's office at 10 am, when Makwana called up the police control room to tell them about the bomb. It had been placed barely 20 feet from textile trader Sanjay Kaporia's shop, who had found a bomb in a dustbin on Tuesday and carried it to a police chowki.
"As soon as I opened by shop, I spotted a green packet tied with the pipe near the first floor,'' Makwana said. Deputy commissioner of police S G Khatri said, "We had checked the area before the CM's visit, but is possible that we missed the bomb given the numerous signboards around it.'' Experts from Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Gandhinagar, have confirmed that all of Surat's 22 bombs were potent and would have caused a lot of destruction had they gone off. The bombs in Ahmedabad had analogue clocks as triggers, while in Surat they had integrated circuits, which failed.
Modi declares rewards
Chief minister Narendra Modi announced a reward of Rs 51 lakh for anyone who gives key information leading to bombers. He also announced an award of Rs 21,000 for all those who informed the police about the 22 bombs found in Surat.
For a state that's already alarmed at the security situation as more and more unexploded bombs are being discovered, it was scary that one of the bombs was found barely 20 metres from where Modi was about an hour back.
The same boat-shaped explosives in green plastic bags had been tied to a vertical drainage pipe and another was found hanging from a tree. The pipe ran between Kishan and Khodiyar shopping complexes and was spotted by shop owner Ranchhod Makwana.
Modi, along with an entourage of ministers and top city officials, had passed through this area at around 8.30 am. The second bomb was recovered in the evening hanging from a mango tree near Utsav Hotel in Varachha. Since Sunday, 22 bombs live bombs have been recovered and defused in Surat, of which 16 have been recovered from Varachha.
The chief minister was holding a meeting with senior officers in the police commissioner's office at 10 am, when Makwana called up the police control room to tell them about the bomb. It had been placed barely 20 feet from textile trader Sanjay Kaporia's shop, who had found a bomb in a dustbin on Tuesday and carried it to a police chowki.
"As soon as I opened by shop, I spotted a green packet tied with the pipe near the first floor,'' Makwana said. Deputy commissioner of police S G Khatri said, "We had checked the area before the CM's visit, but is possible that we missed the bomb given the numerous signboards around it.'' Experts from Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Gandhinagar, have confirmed that all of Surat's 22 bombs were potent and would have caused a lot of destruction had they gone off. The bombs in Ahmedabad had analogue clocks as triggers, while in Surat they had integrated circuits, which failed.
Modi declares rewards
Chief minister Narendra Modi announced a reward of Rs 51 lakh for anyone who gives key information leading to bombers. He also announced an award of Rs 21,000 for all those who informed the police about the 22 bombs found in Surat.
# posted by gopi @ 7:16 AM 
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