It took eight hours to defuse the explosive device found in a bag at the Mangaluru International Airport on Monday morning.
After the bag that found near a flight ticket counter outside the terminal was moved from the spot, Police Commissioner P.S. Harsha held an elaborate meeting with CISF and the Airports Authority of India officials. A decision to take the threat containment vehicle, in which the bag had been placed, to Kenjar was taken later.
- 9.20 a.m.: An abandoned bag is found near a flight ticket counter
- 9.45 a.m.: Mangaluru police indicate that explosive material could be in it
- 10 a.m.: The bag is kept in a threat containment vehicle and shifted to a corner of parking area
- 2 p.m.: The vehicle moves to an open area at Kenjar for defusing
- 5.35 p.m.: The explosive is defused
The vehicle was placed on the trailer of a tractor using a remote-controlled device. Later, the tractor was driven to Kenjar slowly.
Traffic on both sides of the airport road was stopped to enable free movement of the tractor. After driving for an hour, the driver stopped the vehicle expressing difficulty in moving it down the steep slope leading to the open area. The containment vehicle was then offloaded from trailer.
The police enlisted the services of a crane to help the containment vehicle to slowly move down the slope. Using the remote control, the vehicle was moved about 800 metres further in the open area. A person from the bomb detection and disposal squad wearing the protection suit slowly removed the bag from the vehicle and kept it in the middle of sand bags a few metres away.
After connecting wires to the bag, the squad members stood away from the spot and pressed the trigger. When it did not work, they replaced the wires and successfully defuse the explosive at about 5.35 p.m.
The squad members then collected remnants of the explosive and sent them to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Bengaluru.
