Crude bomb found in state govt bus in Madurai, fails to explode

MADURAI: A crude bomb was found planted inside a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus in Madurai on Thursday night. The explosive device made from chemicals used in fireworks was detected by employees of the state transport corporation when the bus was brought to the depot.
Fortunately, the bomb did not explode as the detonator device failed to work.Police claim that the explosive was of very low intensity and could not have caused much damage. Though the culprits are yet to be identified, police suspect that it could be the handiwork of the supporters of Imam Ali, a Muslim extremist, who was killed in an encounter in 2002. His death anniversary falls on September 29.
"The explosive is a low intensity device and was intended to create a scare among the public rather than any damage. Investigations are on. We are yet to zero in on the culprits," said city police commissioner P Kannappan. Two incidents of blast of a similar kind - one in Nelpettai in the city a year back and another one in May this near Mattuthavani bus stand.
Police officials said that the bus
driver Ponraj and conductor Oorkavalan were on duty on Thursday
in the state transport corporation
bus. on Thursday night.
"The two finished their routine trip from Periyar bus stand to Varichoor on route number 42R and took the bus to K Pudur depot a little after midnight. Foreman Rajendran who was checking the bus found a blue colour abandoned parcel under the passenger seat in the last row. He opened the parcel and was shocked to see that got a shock that
it contained a time bomb explosive device. He immediately informed his higher officials, who in turn alerted the police department. The police team visited the depot along with the bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS)," (BDDS) who found the explosive,''
said a police official. The parcel was then removed from there and taken to BDDS office. A senior BDDS official said that the bomb weighed around 200g. "After comprehensive analysis of the explosive, experts have confirmed the use of potassium chlorate, sulphur and charcoal as the basic ingredients of the explosive. Such explosives are widely used for making firecrackers," he said.
About the mechanism used to detonate the blast, he said that metal strips are believed to have been welded together to form the bomb shell and two batteries of 9 volts each were put in a circuit connected to a metal strip to act as a filament and emit heat to detonate the bomb. "The culprits connected the detonator with timer, but it failed hence the bomb was not blasted", he said.
The bus crew, who were on duty driver and conductor have told the police that they remember a person carrying the parcel, who boarded the bus at Simmakal and got down at Tallakulam. Police suspect that the said passenger could have planted the bomb in the bus.