Bag with firecrackers, threat letter found on Shalimar Express at Mumbai station

According to the police, they received a call from the cleaning staff that a bag containing an explosive had been placed under the seat of a compartment of the train.

A suspicious bag containing a pack of crude firecrackers and a threat letter against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was discovered by the Government Railway Police (GRP), Kurla, on board the Shalimar Express train on Wednesday. Railway employees found the package while cleaning the Kolkata-Mumbai train after it terminated at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.

Police check the Shalimar Express at the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus in Mumbai after a bag with firecrackers and threat letter were found on it. (HT Photo)

According to the police, they received a call from the cleaning staff that a bag containing an explosive had been placed under the seat of a compartment of the train. N Inamdar, senior police inspector, Kurla GRP, said a team was dispatched and the bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS) of Mumbai Police was called to check the train.

On examining the bag, the police found an object containing a pipe-shaped firecracker case measuring around 5-6 inches with two small wires around 7-8 inches long attached to a small diffused battery.

A letter was found along with the case, mentioning ‘instructions’ for the planters and a statement threatening the BJP of dire consequences.

The note stated that the parcel was to be kept at the spot after which the planters were supposed to return to Madhya Pradesh. “There was no explosive found on the spot or on the train,” said Inamdar.

Manjunath Shinge, Mumbai Police spokesperson, said the BDDS team and local police officers are thoroughly investigating the matter.

Sources said the contents were found in a cloth bag in the train. A paper was also found along with a photograph of a man. The piece of paper had two contact numbers written on it. Police have identified the persons but believe they may not be linked to any plot. “It appears to be some sort of mischief,” said an officer.