52 abandoned shells found in residential areas

The scare of live rocket shells virtually reached the doorsteps of the people in Ghaziabad today with 52 such explosives being found in residential areas even as five shells were recovered from trucks in a South Delhi locality.

Forty-two shells of various types, including anti-tank missiles, were found abandoned at four places in Ghaziabad this morning.

While 15 were found near Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Park, 11 were recovered from Kavi Nagar, 10 near Delhi Public School, and six in Raispur area, Ghaziabad Superintendent of Police Umesh Shrivastava told PTI.

At least 10 more rocket shells were recovered from four bags of scrap from a forest area of Mabi-Kalan village of Bhagpat, SP (Baghpat) Vir Bahadur Singh said.

The 42 shells recovered in Ghaziabad were "unexploded live", an army spokesman said. These have been handed over for detonation to army bomb disposal squad already sifting the scrap in 11 trucks meant for Bhushan Steel factory here where an explosion claimed 10 lives last week.

Fifty-one shells have been found from the seven of the 11 trucks checked at a secluded place called 'Kanha Upavan' on the banks of the Hindon river.

No explosive was found in the two trucks checked today. Five more live shells were recovered by bomb disposal squads of National Security Guards and police from nine trucks containing scrap in Okhla in South Delhi, police sources said.