Defusing threats, busting hoaxes: A day in the life of Delhi Police’s bomb squads

According to members of one of the teams, while all calls were equally important, the school hoax e-mails tested their capability in terms of ensuring that students and the school administration did not panic so they could scan and secure the area quickly.

A member of the bomb squad that attended to the school hoax, requesting anonymity, said, “The moment the Bomb Detection Squad received calls from multiple schools, our first priority was to reach the spot as soon as possible and divide the teams based on different floors and based on the size of the school while also ensuring that panic is not spread among the students. Nothing is left unchecked and each and every spot – from all washrooms to storerooms to gardens and swimming pools – are checked by the bomb teams which carries out the operation in tandem with the canine squad.”

Said another member, “If it’s an open space with not a lot of bifurcation such as schools where there are set classrooms on different floors; we follow the spiral approach where we go around in spirals while scanning the area before arriving at the middle point.”

On Saturday, a day after bomb mock drills were held in the city, a fresh call came in of an unattended bag being found at Connaught Place N Block. The team quickly stepped in and made quick work to declare that it wasn’t an explosive; the bag belonged to a tourist who had left it behind.

The crew is split into two divisions: the Bomb Detection Team (BDT) and the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), working an 8-hour shift. There are 18 teams in the districts and five squads in each range. While each BDS has six-seven officers, the BDTs have five members.

While the BDS members usually wears civilian clothes, both on mock drills and on bomb calls, the BDTs are only see in bomb suits.

The Indian Express spoke to a few members on how they function.

In action

A member of the bomb detection team, who has been part of the unit since 2002, explained how they attend to each ‘threat’ call they receive. “After the PCR unit gets the call, it is transferred to the control room of the district which then alerts its respective bomb detection squad… The teams, which are always on standby, rush, along with their equipment, in a van to the spot where the unidentified object or a bomb/IED was found,” the member said.

Local police are briefed beforehand to keep passersby at a distance of at least 50 metres and to cordon off the area. Traffic Police are also asked to either divert vehicles or stop them on a specific stretch to ensure there is enough space to carry out the operation. “If there are shops around the spot, owners are told to close up and vacate the premises,” said an officer.

What’s the next step?

The member said, “At the spot, a non-linear junction detector or a deep metal search detector is first used to scan the object and identify if it’s an explosive… Next, an M-ION detector is used to trace the explosive… followed by a portable X-ray machine… this will show us if it’s a bomb or a false alarm. If it is an explosive, the detection teams put up bomb blankets and rings to ensure that in the time that the disposal team arrives, no one is affected if the bomb explodes… the BDT then defuses the bomb.”
A bomb blanket is a non-inflammable cloth which is put on an explosive while the Bomb Disposal team arrives and helps suppress the effect of the explosive and the damage it can cause. The bomb or safety ring is attached along with the blanket to ensure no damage in case of explosion.

In cases where tackling the threat becomes a task for the team, the National Security Guard, which has better equipment and expertise, is called in.

The BDS and BDT were started in February 2002. An officer of the Crime Branch, the nodal unit handling the teams, said, “Their tasks also involve checking and sanitising important markets, malls and vital installations and carrying out anti-sabotage checks of venues ahead of VVIP visits… they are stationed strategically to minimise their response time and have state-of-the-art equipment to carry out operations safely and effectively.”

A member said weekly refresher courses and mock drills are carried out in a bid to keep the team accustomed to their gear. Said an officer, “We are in the process of procuring new equipment called a water jet projector, which is like a water cannon with a capsule. It will spray water, mixed with air on the explosive to defuse it.”
A Ballistic Shield Body Protector and a Telescopic Manipulator with a long automated metallic rod are on the list of equipment to be procured, he added.

Is there a plan to rope in more officers? An officer answered in the affirmative and said: “As calls increase, officers will be recruited periodically to better address threat situations.”