Thane

A suspicious metal ball partially buried in the ground in Maharashtra's Thane district turned out to be “unexploded ordnance”, prompting authorities to seek the help of the National Security Guard (NSG) to defuse it, police said on Thursday.

The incident was reported from the Uttan locality in the Mira-Bhayandar area on Wednesday.

According to the police, a passerby accidentally kicked a hard object. When he checked, he found a metal ball partially buried in the ground, said senior inspector Subashchandra N Markad from Uttan Sagari police station.

The metal ball was later identified as an unexploded ordnance, or UXO, he said.

A UXO is a military explosive device that was fired, dropped, launched, or otherwise used but failed to explode as intended. It can still detonate later and is often dangerous.

“The man immediately alerted the police, who called the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad. The BDDS then sought the assistance of the NSG, whose personnel reached the spot and defused the unexploded ordnance,” he said.

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As a precautionary measure, residents of the locality, which has several huts, were evacuated before the operation began, the official said, adding that nobody was injured.