Panic spreads among shoppers after unclaimed packet is found near shop
Panic spreads among shoppers after unclaimed packet is found near shop
Shoppers on MG Road were in a state of panic yesterday when an unclaimed packet was noticed outside a shop. Rumours of it being a bomb spread quickly, sending commuters and shoppers in a tizzy.
"We were sitting in a temple near our shop when my brother noticed a white plastic bag that had been lying since morning in front of The Godown, a small shop located near our shop. We immediately informed Rosario Furtado, a salesman in the shop," said Arvind Budhani (55), owner of Budhani Wafers.
"As soon as I saw the bag, I informed my boss as I thought there might be some dangerous material in the bag," said Furtado (63).
The owner of The Godown, Albert Fernandes (74), informed Lashkar police station about the bag. The police arrived at 12.45 pm with the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) and asked all the shopkeepers in the vicinity to shut their shops. Traffic was diverted from MG Road for around one-and-half hours.
A bell and a coconut
The BDDS recovered a cordless bell and a coconut in the plastic bag. On disconnecting the internal wiring of the bell, a loud sound was heard at 2.05 pm that scared the onlookers and made them run for shelter. People soon realised that it was just a harmless sound and not a bomb blast.
"I'll be more cautious now. I have decided to put up CCTVs at all branches of my shop," said Budhani.
"I was busy doing my usual work when two policemen came and asked me to shut the shop," said Ramesh Danani (52), owner of Rajendra Collections near The Godown. "Initially I thought that some political party is forcing us to close the shops but then I came to know that it was because of a bomb scare."
The police brought the situation under control and the shops reopened around 3 pm.
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