Two IED-like Devices Found in Guwahati as Assam Police Seize 10 Bomb-like Items

Guwahati: Two "IED-like devices" were discovered in Guwahati on Friday, bringing the total number of "bomb-like substances" seized across Assam in the last 24 hours to 10. This follows a claim by the banned ULFA (I) that they had planted 24 explosives to trigger serial blasts in the state, according to a top police official.

One device was found in the Satgaon area near the Narengi Army Cantonment, and the other at Last Gate, close to the state secretariat, ministers' colony, and the chief minister's residence.

Guwahati Commissioner of Police Diganta Borah said, “We had been carrying out a thorough search in all the areas mentioned in the ULFA statement. In Satgaon, search was conducted yesterday and resumed today. We recovered an IED-type device in Satgaon and another in Last Gate.”

He said the two devices were similar to the ones found in the city on Thursday, one in Panbazar and the other on Gandhi Mandap Road.

"The two explosive-type devices seized today are similar to the ones found yesterday. It has detonator, electric circuit, batteries, but no triggering mechanism," the CP claimed.

He maintained that though some 'explosive-type substances' have been found in the devices, whether these were explosives will be known only after forensic examination is completed. Borah claimed that although ULFA (I) mentioned eight places in Guwahati where it had purportedly placed the explosives, as per police intelligence the 'bomb-like substances' were actually planted in four spots and accordingly, search was conducted in the identified locations.

"We are maintaining utmost vigil," Borah added.

Eight 'bomb-like substances' were seized by police across Assam on Thursday, including two in Guwahati, officials had said. Two each were recovered in Sivasagar and Lakhimpur, and one each in Nagaon and Nalbari. The other places where the outfit claimed of planting the bombs are Dibrugarh, Tamulpur, Tinsukia and Golaghat districts.

The United Liberation Front of Asom (Independent), in an email to media houses on Thursday gave out a list identifying exact locations of 19 bombs with photographs but could not pinpoint the remaining five spots.

ULFA said the blasts were scheduled to take place between 6 am and noon on Thursday but after failure in execution as the bombs did not explode due to 'technical failure', it sought public cooperation for defusing the explosive devices.