SHIVAMOGGA: A tense situation at Shivamogga railway station, triggered by the discovery of two suspicious boxes near the parking area, dissipated with the police confirming that the boxes contained waste material and salt. The police have also detained two suspects and are interrogating them to determine the motive behind bringing the boxes to the city and abandoning them.
An extended search operation was carried out late into the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. The bomb detection and disposal squad from Bengaluru, which arrived around 7 pm, conducted the searches, but they had to suspend the operation multiple times due to heavy rain. The searches continued overnight, ultimately solving the mystery of the boxes.
Superintendent of Police Mithun Kumar GK told reporters on Monday that immediately after being alerted, the police inspected the spot.
“Later, an anti-sabotage team was called in. The team inspected the boxes. Given the necessity of further verification, the bomb squad was asked to come. The squad conducted four types of tests and confirmed that no explosive material were inside. We have seized the boxes,” the SP said.
Kumar said preliminary information indicates that waste material and table salt were inside the boxes. The SP also revealed that the police have collected CCTV footage.
“The footage shows the movement of a vehicle and two suspects on November 3. They were found placing the boxes there. We are enquiring why they had come to Shivamogga. The suspects also have a criminal background. I will reveal more information once the verification is completed,” he said.
On the ‘Made in Bangladesh’ label on the jute bags wrapped around the boxes, the SP explained that the jute bags were made in Bangladesh and were used to wrap the boxes. “We were concerned about the contents of the boxes rather than where the bags were manufactured,” he said.