Explosives recovered from a field in Ajnala's Tedi village ahead of Diwali

In a major recovery ahead of the Diwali festival, the Amritsar Rural Police on Wednesday seized three hand grenades and an improvised explosive device (IED) from an agricultural field in Tedi village, under the Ajnala subdivision here.

According to police, the explosives — wrapped in a plastic bag — were concealed in the fields and came to light when a local farmer noticed dogs tearing at the bag. On approaching the spot, the farmer found hand grenades and other explosive materials and immediately informed the police.

A police team swiftly cordoned off the area and called the bomb disposal squad for safely neutralising the explosives.

Confirming the seizure, Senior Superintendent of Police Amritsar (Rural) Maninder Singh said preliminary investigations suggest that the explosives may have been smuggled from across the border. “Investigations are underway to ascertain the origin and intended use of the recovered material,” he added.

Tedi village lies about 30 km from the Indo-Pak international border, raising suspicion of a cross-border link behind the recovery.

"The probe was on to ascertain how the explosives reached here," said SSP.

Along with the hand grenades, the police also recovered RDX detonators, batteries, wires and headphones, all packed inside a plastic bag.

Farmer Gurbhej Singh said that he was inspecting his fields when he noticed stray dogs tearing at the bag. “On checking the contents, I found explosive material and immediately alerted the police,” he said.

Station House Officer (SHO) Harchand Singh rushed to the spot, cordoned off the area, and covered the explosives with sandbags as a precautionary measure.

SSP Maninder Singh said the recovery appeared to be part of a plot to disturb peace during the festive season. “The timely alertness of the farmer and the swift action by the police prevented a potential tragedy,” he added, noting that further investigation is on to trace how the explosives reached the area.