The police have handed over the unexploded shell of an anti-tank rocket launcher, found in Manampathi village, to the Bomb Disposal Unit of the Tamil Nadu Commando Force to be defused. The entire village was sanitised on Tuesday and it has been confirmed that no more explosive devices were left in the locality.
On Sunday afternoon, a portion of the rocket launcher exploded in Manampathi near Tiruporur in Kancheepuram district. Two youth — Surya, 23, and Dilip Raghavan, 25 — who are suspected to have meddled with the explosive, died in the incident. Three of their friends who sustained injuries are undergoing treatment in hospital.
“On Monday, we found another explosive buried in the locality. We were planning to defuse it in the Manampathi lake and we have even dug a six-ft. deep hole for the purpose. The area was cordoned off to prevent any untoward incident. However, we had to abandon it as we did not have permission,” said a police source.
The police felt that it was dangerous to defuse it without knowing the range of impact.
“The shell has been taken to the Chengalpattu court. In the evening, the judge granted permission and it was handed over to the commando force to defuse it in a safe manner,” the officer added.
Police said that they are investigating how the explosive landed in the locality. “Every round of the Indian Army is accounted for, so it is surprising how this was abandoned here. It appears it was buried in the sand for a long time and the recent rains exposed it,” said a police officer.
