Suspicious bag triggers bomb scare outside Delhi college

Hot on the heels of an explosion outside the Delhi High Court last week, a mysterious bag containing some powder, pencil batteries and wires that can be assembled into a bomb was found outside a women's college on Monday afternoon, creating panic.

The bag was detected at a bus stand near Gargi College on Khel Gaon Marg in south Delhi around noon, police said on the incident that happened five days after the crude bomb explosion outside the High Court. Police received a call from a student at 12:15 pm about the bag lying unattended at the bus stop.

Amulya Patnaik, joint commissioner of police (southern range), said it resembled a cracker and did not contain any explosives. It could not have exploded at all, he said.

"It appears that somebody played a sort of prank or mischief. This could not have exploded as there was no arrangement which could have led to an explosion. It was a fire cracker kind of assembly. It would not have worked," Patnaik said.

A senior police official said the bag contained some powder, wires and two pencil batteries and nothing were connected. Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said, "this could neither burst nor explode. No explosive substances have been found. It is a prank or mischief. It has no link to the May 25 explosion outside the High Court."

Bomb disposal squads and forensic experts were rushed to the spot and collected samples. The police cordoned off the area where the admission process was on in the college and there were a number of students.

The discovery of the bag with suspicious material came five days after a low intensity bomb exploded outside the High Court on May 25. Nobody was injured in that incident.

Police is yet to get any breakthrough in the explosion outside the High Court even as investigators conducted searches in an Uttar Pradesh locality to check whether the perpetrators bought chemicals from the market there.

Sources said investigators conducted raids in Pilkhua market to know about the sale of ammonium nitrate and potassium chlorate which is commonly used in dying factories there.

Delhi Police has been insisting that the explosion was not aimed at causing major damage but to create scare. Sources said the blast had the typical signatures of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen.

Police had recovered some shrapnel, a battery-like object and ammonium nitrate from the spot. The nails and bolts were packed and a detonator was attached to the timer.