Jamshedpur, March 23 Personnel from the Indian Army and the police's bomb disposal squad in Jharkhand's Ranchi inspected the area near Jamshedpur on Monday, where a suspected unexploded bomb from World War II was discovered.
The officials examined the area along the Subarnarekha river in East Singhbhum district, about 90 km from Jamshedpur, before initiating measures to defuse the bomb, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (Ghatsila), Ajit Kumar Kujur, said.
The team also conducted mapping of the area using drones, he added.
The Jharkhand Police had earlier sought assistance from the Indian Army to defuse the bomb.
East Singhbhum SP (Rural) Rishav Garg had said the bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS) from Ranchi inspected the site in Baharagora last week, and found the device to be "active" and heavy.
"The BDDS team is trained to handle IEDs and small explosives. However, they assessed that the old bomb is still active and requires the expertise of the Indian Army for safe disposal," he said.
The BDDS unit informed the police that the "powerful bomb cannot be disposed of using standard procedures" and requires advanced technical expertise available with the Army.
According to police sources, the bomb, resembling a gas cylinder, was unearthed during sand excavation along the Panipada-Nagudsai stretch.
Markings on the object, including 'AN-M64 500 lb… American… unexploded', suggest it could be an old US-made bomb, they said.