A major tragedy was averted with timely detection of a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Sunday, officials said.
The IED, planted inside a tiffin box, was found lying on the roadside near a culvert by the army's road opening party at Sangpur village along the Jammu-Poonch National Highway around 4.45 am, they said.
Jammu-based defence PRO Lt Col Suneel Bartwal said three teams from the nearest Army camp moved to the location and established a motor vehicle check post at Kallar and Balavenue following the detection of the IED.
Simultaneously, police were informed and integrated into the operation, he said, adding that a bomb disposal team moved to the location and successfully identified and neutralised the IED around 8.15 am.
The officials said the traffic on the busy highway remained suspended for over three hours following the detection of the IED, which was later destroyed in a controlled explosion without any damage.
Police have registered a case and further investigation is on to identify and arrest the suspected terrorists who planted the IED on the highway with the intention to trigger an explosion, the officials added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
At Least 8 Dead Due To Unknown Illness In Jammu And Kashmir's Rajouri FIR Registered Against Owner Of Rajouri Garden Restaurant Where Fire Took Place Yesterday Jammu Bus Attack: Anti-Terror Searches Underway In Rajouri, Reasi "Intention To Dupe UPSC": Ex-IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar Denied Pre-Arrest Bail Send Sheikh Hasina Back To Dhaka, Bangladesh Writes To India Kolkata Man Gets Divorce As "Imposition Of Wife's Friend" Is Deemed Cruelty Biden Commutes Death Sentences Of 37 Federal Inmates Ahead Of Christmas "Will Live Till 110": Dalai Lama On Health Concerns As Succession Plan Looms 'Was Ahead Of His Time': Professor On Trump's Indian-Origin Pick For AI Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.