Low-intensity IED found at K’taka airport, defused

MANGALURU: A ‘live’ explosive device was found in an unattended bag near a ticket counter of the departure gate of the airport here on Monday and later defused at a nearby open ground, police said.

“According to the preliminary reports, a live bomb was found at the Mangaluru Airport today”, Karnataka home minister-Basavaraj Bommai said as the incident created a scare ahead of the Republic Day.

A top Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) official said the device resembled a low intensity-improvised explosive device.

It was taken away from the airport in a bomb disposal unit vehicle and defused at Kenjaru ground in a controlled explosion by keeping the unclaimed laptop bag in sand-packs in the evening.

Earlier, as soon as the personnel of CISF, which is maintaining the security of the airport, noticed the unattended bag, they cordoned off the area and reported the matter to the police.

Mangaluru Police Commissioner P S Harsha rushed to the airport along with a police team and bomb detection and disposal squad.

He later told reporters that prima facie, during investigation, it has come to light that it was a handiwork of a middleaged man who came to the airport in an autorickshaw. Police also later released the photo of the suspect who tried to conceal his identity by using a cap.

Bommai said an alert has been sounded in all the airports in the state, including Bengaluru, Mangaluru, Hubballi and Belagavi.