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KUSHTIA: Police have recovered a time bomb and two bottles of petrol from the premises of Fakir Lalon Sai’s shrine in Cheuria, Kumarkhali, Kushtia.
The district police cordoned off the area around 1:30am on Monday after receiving information that a bomb had been found inside a bag on the shrine premises late Sunday night. A bomb disposal team from Dhaka arrived on Monday morning and defused the device. Security has since been tightened at the shrine.
According to police and local sources, a suspicious object wrapped in a white bag was spotted beneath a coconut tree to the right of the shrine’s main entrance, near a police box, around 1:30am. Police immediately went on alert after being informed of the discovery.
For security reasons, the sadhus and fakirs staying inside the shrine were moved to a safe location during the night. Police subsequently contacted the bomb disposal team, which arrived from Dhaka on Monday morning.
After examining the suspicious bag, the team recovered a time bomb and two litres of petrol before defusing the device.
A three-day programme marking the death anniversary of Lalon Shah has been underway at the shrine since Saturday. Sunday was the second day of the event, which is scheduled to continue until Monday night.
The bomb discovery has sparked panic at the shrine. Alongside heightened police security, two platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed.
Police are investigating who left the bomb and petrol at the shrine and why.