Five anti-personnel mines normally used in the military were found abandoned under a bridge at Kuttippuram in the district on
Friday. The mines were noticed on Thursday evening. They were removed to the AR Camp here.
The police said the mines looked like the popular directional anti-personnel US model M18 A1 Claymore and further details could be disclosed after a detailed examination.
The mines and their kit were found abandoned near the pillar of the Kuttippuram bridge. The site’s proximity to Mini Pampa, a popular resting place of Sabarimala Ayyappa devotees from Karnataka and North Kerala, has prompted the police to tighten security in the area.
A team of police personnel led by Inspector General M.R. Ajit Kumar examined the site. The police said they were clueless about how the mines used by military personnel had been brought to Kuttippuram. Experts said they suspected that the mines might have been stolen by some military personnel for personal use. The landmines are capable of inflicting severe damage to a victim who steps over them. The mine goes off when an object weighing between 40 kg and 100 kg is placed on it.
Experts said some people secretly use anti-personnel mines against wild hogs and other large animals that destroy agricultural crops.
The police said they were yet to rule out such a possibility.
Experts said the mines recovered from Kuttippuram were made in 1990 and had passed their expiry period of 20 years. The police said a military team would examine the mines on Saturday.
