TIRUCHY: The back-to-back discovery of parts of a rocket launcher on the banks of the Cauvery river near Jeeyapuram in the Tiruchy district has baffled the police and the public alike. The metal part, which is said to be a cell of a rocket launcher, was destroyed in the Kollidam river on Saturday evening after it was found the previous day.
Devotees visiting the Shiva temple at Andanallur near Jeeyapuram first found a similar cell on the bank of the Cauvery on October 30. Jeeyapuram police that secured it have been investigating details like its origin with the help of forensic experts and the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS). A BDDS team defused it in a four-foot-deep pit in the Kollidam River in Mukkombu on November 2.
Police confirmed the cell was live with explosives. Meanwhile, on Friday evening, another launcher cell was found by fishermen around the same spot on the banks of the Cauvery river close to the same temple near Jeeyapuram. It was defused in the Kollidam river on Saturday evening. The discovery of the two rocket launcher cells within a few weeks has raised concerns among people. They alleged the police did not conduct a proper search of the area after the first find.
Speaking to TNIE, V Arulraj, a resident of Jeeyapuram, said, “A rocket launcher is used in conflicts. If the police had done a proper search then they could have found the second one earlier itself. They did not conduct a proper search as they took the matter lightly. We are afraid. The police should thoroughly scour the area.”