The Mangaon police, Raigad Bomb Squad and Dog Squad have seized eight country-made bombs used for hunting wild animals in forests.
A five-year-old dog of the squad, Bruno, played a major role in finding the yard of a house at Pansai Karanjwadi Adivasiwadi in Mangaon taluka of Raigad, where the bombs were buried.
On Monday, Mangaon police received a tip-off about bombs being made in the yard following which a search was conducted. During the search, Bruno, a labrador, found the spot below a mango tree following which the team dug a hole. Eight country-made bombs in a plastic container were found buried under the tree, informed an officer. The bomb squad confirmed that those were live bombs.
A case has been registered with Mangaon police station. “The seized village bombs are live and have been placed in a magazine at a quarry in Indapur for security reasons. We will approach for disposing of the bomb after the court grants the permission,” an officer from Raigad police said.
Rajendra Patil, police inspector from Mangaon police station, said, “During this operation, two accused were arrested while two others were absconding. The accused have been remanded to police custody till June 24.”
According to the police, the accused made and used these bombs to hunt wild boars in the forest.
It may be recalled that in November 2021, a 45-year-old man died while his wife and 10-year-old son sustained serious injuries while making country-made bombs to kill wild boars in Mashiwadi village of Mangaon Taluka.