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Old, rusted hand grenade found next to labour camp in Lohegaon diffused safely

Officials said with the presence of a large number of Army and defence institutions in and around Pune, there is always a possibility of discovery of misfired, unexploded ammunition

This is not the first time that old ammunition has been discovered in and around Pune (Representative image/Archive)

An old and rusted hand grenade which was found in an open space next to the labour camp on the land of the Indian Air Force in Lohegaon area was diffused by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) of Pune with a controlled detonation, the Pune city police station on Tuesday.

“Around 12.30 pm on Tuesday information was received from Air Force security officials about an old and rusted hand grenade found in an open ground next to the labour camp which is situated on the Air Force land. Accordingly, a team from the Vimantal Police Station, the BDDS, and Air Force Police immediately reached the location. The hand grenade was safely examined, the area was evacuated, and the grenade was moved to a secure location. It was then successfully defused using controlled detonation.” said Inspector Ashalata Khapre, of Vimantal police station.

This operation was supervised by DCP Himmat Jadhav, ACP Pranjali Sonawane and was executed by a joint team from Vimantal Police Station, BDDS Team Pune and the Air Force Police. “We have reason to believe that this was an old unexploded grenade possibly from a defence establishment in the same area.” an officer said.

This is not the first time that old ammunition has been discovered in and around Pune. In April and October last year, pre-independence vintage field artillery shells were found during excavation works in Hinjewadi and Chinchwad respectively. In December 2023, a hand grenade was found during excavation for the Pune Metro on the Shivajinagar-Hinjewadi route and earlier in March 2021, during the Pune Metro work on Baner Road. In July 2022, a hand grenade was found in the Manjari Khurd area.

Officials said with the presence of a large number of Army and defence institutions in and around Pune since pre-independence era, there is always a possibility of discovery of misfired, unexploded ammunition that was lost or mishandled during transit in the past.

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