Five-hour-long operation in Kolar after unclaimed suitcase triggers bomb scare

Kolar: A five-hour-long operation, undertaken following the discovery of an unclaimed suitcase on the service road of National Highway-75 near Tamaka village in Kolar district on Wednesday, involving personnel across departments – police, fire and emergency services, BESCOM, bomb disposal squad – was successfully completed.

Around 8am, people were alerted to the sound of ‘beep, beep’ from the suitcase on the road. While the suitcase piqued the curiosity of the public, who started gathering around the unclaimed object, the Galpete police station was intimated about its presence. With sniffer dogs and personnel from the district bomb disposal squad in tow, police arrived at the spot.

Although initial examination by the local bomb disposal squad found that there were no explosive devices within the suitcase, police decided to take no chances, and dialled the bomb disposal squad in Bengaluru for help. Since the suitcase was found at a spot atop which electric wires passed through, personnel from BESCOM were summoned, as were those from the fire and emergency services. 

Personnel from the bomb disposal squad from Bengaluru, who arrived in Kolar around 12pm, were able to trigger a controlled explosion using cordex. It emerged that the suitcase had an in-built sensor, not to mention the presence of a small electric device within, which accounted for the strange sound that had raised the hackles of the public.

Kolar superintendent of police Nikhil said that they were yet to ascertain who had discarded the suitcase on the highway. He did not rule out the possibility of the suitcase having been stolen, and being thrown away.