Mumbai: In a first of its kind in India, the Mumbai police put to use its mobile vehicle x-ray scanner, a sophisticated machine loaded on a car that can detect explosive-making material from a distance.
Part of the police modernisation plan, the machine is a welcome addition to a city that's recently been a victim to terror strikes.
This mobile vehicle x-ray scanner imported from the US can detect explosives, weapons and drugs within a 10-metre radius.
It was used for the first time during Sunday's Shiv Sena-BJP rally at Shivaji Park.
The machine costing 5-7 crore rupees is part of the police modernisation plan, necessary particularly in light of the recent terror attacks on the city.
The machine can detect specific chemicals, which may be used in making explosives. The police can then zero in on the car with the suspected material.
Officers of the bomb disposal squad said the machine could scan about 2,000 vehicles at a time.
The scanner is a crucial addition to the other trusted tool of the BDDS- sniffer dogs.