Loud blast as ‘pressure-cooker bomb’ is defused in Savar, area shaken

A pressure cooker wrapped in black tape and found in a mosque field in the Sadhapur area of Savar was identified by police as a powerful bomb.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s bomb disposal unit later arrived at the scene and safely defused the device.

A loud explosion occurred around 3:28pm on Wednesday (12 August) while the bomb was being defused, shaking the surrounding area and causing panic among local residents, including those living and working about 500 metres from the scene. White smoke was also seen rising into the sky.

Local businessman Nibir Hossain, who was about 500 metres away from the site, said, “We did not know the bomb was so powerful. When it was defused, the loud blast shook the entire area. We were terrified.”

Sub-Inspector (SI) Imran Hossain, in charge of the Bhabanipur police camp in Savar, said the DMP bomb disposal unit arrived at the scene around 1:45pm. After taking necessary security measures, the device was defused at 3:28pm.

Nur Mohammad, inspector (investigation) at Savar Police Station, said the area was shaken by the loud blast when the bomb was defused. “It was a highly powerful bomb. Senior officials will provide further details,” he said.

According to police, local residents spotted a blue plastic drum around 1:30am on Wednesday at the field of Laltek Ghora Mosque in Sadhapur Goper Bari.

A pressure cooker wrapped in black tape was found inside the drum. The residents later took the pressure cooker out of the drum, placed it on the mosque field and informed the police.

SI Imran Hossain said police went to the scene at around 8am after receiving the information and found the pressure cooker wrapped in black tape. The matter was subsequently reported to the bomb disposal unit.

Police, quoting several local residents, said three unidentified people had left the plastic drum at the mosque field during the night.

Their identities, however, could not immediately be established.

The area was evacuated after the bomb disposal unit arrived at around 1:45pm. People from nearby areas were moved to a safe distance, and the device was defused after necessary security measures were put in place.

Police are investigating where the bomb came from, who left it at the site and what the purpose was behind placing it there.