BENGALURU: A grenade-like metal object found at Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station at Majestic on Friday, which had caused panic and raised speculation that it could be the handiwork of a terrorist, belonged to the Indian Army, police have concluded. The object found is a simulator hand grenade used for training in the army,police added.
On Friday, the suspicious object was found on the trolley path between platforms 1 and 2 and had put police forces on their toes. The malfunctioning CCTV camera in Sanghmitra Express, which was ready to depart, proved to be a stumbling block for the probe. However, Railway Police solved the case within 72 hours, with the cooperation of officials of the Internal Security Division (ISD), Intelligence Bureau and State Intelligence Bureau.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, SP (Railways) Bheemashankar S Guled said, “There was some delay as the grenade did not bear any serial number on it. One of our officers suspected that it belonged to the Indian Army, and approached Army officials, who confirmed that the grenade belonged to them. They also demonstrated how it is used and explained that it is not an explosive, nor can anyone with ulterior motives use it,” he said.
Refusing to divulge more information, Guled said that nothing much can be revealed as it is a sensitive matter pertaining to the Indian Army. “I would say it might have fallen accidentally from a box carrying such grenades, while loading or unloading. I cannot reveal from where it was coming or where it was being transported.”
Admitting that there was some lacuna in the railways security system, the SP said that improving safety and security is a continuous process. “We will take all possible measures to ensure the safety of passengers and property,” he added.
NIA officials camped in city
Following the incident, officials of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had camped in the city since Friday. “They were in constant touch with officials of the ISD. They were informed that the grenade belonged to the Indian Army,” a senior police officer said.