Jammu

Army officials defused an old, unexploded mortar shell found in an agricultural field in the forward area of Poonch district on Thursday, after villagers noticed the shell while harvesting maize in Kussalian village and subsequently alerted authorities, officials said.

"We were harvesting maize in our field when we suddenly spotted an old, unexploded bomb. We didn't touch it. Instead, we immediately informed the nearby Army unit. They are on their way now to defuse it as soon as possible," resident Pardeep Kumar said.

Officials said police and Army personnel reached the spot soon after receiving the information and secured the area before the bomb disposal squad began safely defusing the mortar shell.

No casualties or property damage were reported.

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Officials said the unexploded shell is believed to be a remnant of past cross-border shelling in the border district.