3 hand grenades, 1 IED recovered near highway in Ambala

All the explosives, weighing around 1.5kg, were defused by a bomb disposal squad under a controlled environment in the abandoned area near Punjab-Haryana border, police said

Three live hand grenades and an improvised explosive device (IED) were found from an empty ground in Sadoupur village near Maharishi Markandeshwar University (MMU) which is close to Chandigarh-Hisar national highway (NH-152), police said on Sunday.

Member of a bomb disposal squad at the site where the hand grenades and IED were recovered in Ambala on Sunday. (HT Photo)

All the explosives, weighing around 1.5kg, were defused by a bomb disposal squad under a controlled environment in the abandoned area near Punjab-Haryana border, the police added.

There are a couple of private schools, along with the university, besides an industrial area and a railway track in the vicinity of the spot. The location is just 50 metres away from the highway.

The grenades were spotted by a labourer working in the area on Saturday evening, but the police were informed on Sunday morning, said superintendent of police Jashandeep Singh Randhawa.

“There is a delay in the information provided to us purportedly due to some shift change that will also be investigated. Army, national investigation agency (NIA) and other departments concerned were informed accordingly,” he told the media, after inspecting the spot.

However, the SP refused to disclose the type of explosives found.

“The material will be sent to a laboratory to ascertain its type and origin. There is no clarity on how it reached the said spot and we will question the public or private institutions around the area to determine so. A case under the Explosive Substances Act will be registered and the matter is being investigated,” he added.

Recently, 232 rusted artillery shells were also recovered in Shahzadpur area on February 25 and were disposed of in coordination with the army.