Pune hospital bomb scare: Bomb squad defuses 'live explosive device' found at Hadapsar Hospital

A suspicious device containing lowgrade explosives was discovered inside the premises of a private hospital in Punersquos Hadapsar area on Wednesday evening triggering a massive security response by police and bomb disposal squads officials saidAccording to ANI officials said the object was found near a washroom within the hospital compound The device which allegedly had a digital clocklike attachment was first noticed by a doctor who immediately alerted the police control roomBomb squad defuses device ATS joins investigationSoon after receiving the information senior officials from the Pune City Police arrived at the hospital and conducted a thorough search of the premises Meanwhile the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad BDDS successfully defused the device The AntiTerrorism Squad ATS also reached the spot and joined the investigationPolice the ATS and the crime branch are jointly probing all possible angles including the possibility of a terrorist attack ANI reportedPune Police Commissioner praises BDDS teamSpeaking to the media Amitesh Kumar lauded the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad for their swift response and said the explosive device was taken to an open ground at the gliding centre before being defused safely He added that the investigation is currently underwayldquoAround 8 pm today we received information that a bomblike device had been found on the hospital premises The police team along with the bomb disposal squad immediately reached the spot Following all mandated protocols the squad shifted the device to an open ground at the gliding centre where it was successfully defused The BDDS team did a commendable job All teams have been deployed to investigate the case Pune City Police the local police station the crime branch and ATS teams are jointly investigating the matter from all possible anglesrdquo he said ANI reportedNCP MLA says device was lsquolive explosiversquoSpeaking to ANI Chetan Vitthal Tupe said the object was a ldquolive explosive devicerdquo and warned that the consequences could have been severe had it exploded inside the hospital premisesldquoA bomb had been planted inside the hospital which has now been successfully defused through the joint efforts of the police and the bomb squad There is currently no cause for alarm The entire hospital building and surrounding premises have been thoroughly scanned and there is no remaining threat at this moment However it was indeed a live explosive device Had any mishap occurred the consequences could have been severe given the large number of people present inside the hospital and nearbyrdquo he saidCCTV footage under scrutiny suspects identifiedThe MLA further stated that while the identity of the accused has not yet been confirmed some individuals have come under suspicion Based on eyewitness accounts a man allegedly stepped out of a car near the hospital earlier in the day before returning to the vehicle and driving away shortly afterldquoThe police and administration have initiated an investigation into the incident including a review of CCTV footage The identity of the person who planted the bomb remains unknown but certain individuals have come under suspicion Eyewitnesses claimed that a vehicle possibly a rental car stopped near the location A man stepped out briefly returned to the car and the vehicle later drove away from the area Police are investigating these claims as wellrdquo he said the news agency reportedHospital staff to be questionedTupe added that a detailed probe has been launched and the entire hospital staff including doctors will be questioned as part of the investigationldquoThe police investigation will explore every possible angle including the possibility of a terrorist attack though it would be inappropriate to confirm or deny anything until the inquiry is complete I have spoken with the Police Commissioner who is currently conducting an investigation inside the hospital The entire hospital staff including doctors will be questioned Only after this process is completed will the full picture emergerdquo he said reported ANIFurther details are awaited as the investigation continuesWith ANI inputs