A bomb concealed inside a pressure cooker was recovered from an abandoned bag at a tea stall in Ashulia of Savar and later neutralized in a controlled explosion by the Bomb Disposal Unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) on Friday morning.
According to police and local residents, the abandoned bag was spotted around 11pm on Thursday in front of Joyi General Store, a tea stall owned by Hridoy Chakma in the Khejur Bagan area of Ashulia. As the bag remained unattended for a long time, locals became suspicious.
Ashulia Police Station Officer-in-Charge Tarikul Islam said: "An investigation has begun to identify and arrest those involved."
"At the same time, CCTV footage from the surrounding area is being collected and analyzed," he said.
After opening the bag, locals found a bomb concealed inside a pressure cooker and immediately informed police.
Personnel from Ashulia Police Station rushed to the scene, cordoned off the area, and initially determined the object to be an explosive before referring the matter to the DMP Bomb Disposal Unit.
Bomb disposal personnel recovered the explosive device and took it to a vacant plot inside Amir Sarkar's Housing, adjacent to United Garments on Bangabandhu Road in Ashulia Union, where it was safely neutralized through a controlled explosion.
The incident triggered panic among residents in the area.
"We did not initially pay much attention after noticing the bag in front of the shop at night. However, after becoming suspicious and checking the bag, we found the bomb and immediately informed the police," said local resident Azizul Haque.
He said they believed their prompt action helped avert a possible major accident.
