BOMBAY, 4 December 2002 — The elite commandos of the National Security Guard arrived here yesterday to probe a bomb blast that left three people dead and injured 36, while a spate of hoax bomb calls added to the city’s jitters, police said.
The National Security Guard (NSG) commandos yesterday defused a bomb found on a bus in Bombay shortly after a blast on another bus, police said. The NSG squad was called in from New Delhi by the state government when the second bomb was found after Monday’s blast.
The commandos, known as the Black Cats, defused the second device yesterday afternoon, an official said.
“The second bomb has been defused. We have taken the explosive material to our state forensic lab and have also despatched it to NSG’s own forensic lab,” Maharashtra Home Minister Kripashankar Singh said.
“The situation in the city remains normal amid some jitters caused by hoax bomb calls. But for the rest, everything is under control and the investigation for yesterday’s blast is on,” Singh added. Police said they had received a number of hoax bomb calls from various parts of the city yesterday.
“There have been five hoax bomb scares since morning, creating unnecessary panic in the city. We are advising the people to maintain calm, but at the same time report any suspicious-looking objects,” police spokesman Mandlik said.
Singh also said the NSG commandos would continue to assist the police in their investigations.
