MEHDHAR/JAMMU, Mar 7: A live mortar shell was safely defused by security forces in a forward village near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said.
A local resident spotted the shell in a secluded area of Brari village in the Sawjian sector and immediately alerted the Army and the nearby police post, they said.
A bomb disposal squad was quickly dispatched to the site, and the shell was defused without causing any damage, officials added.
The mortar shell was reportedly fired from across the border earlier but had remained unexploded, they said.
Officials noted that finding such shells in forward areas is routine, as ordnance fired during ceasefire violations often remains buried or undetected for long periods. They warned that unexploded shells pose a serious risk to civilians in border areas, and security forces along with bomb disposal squads regularly step in to safely secure and dispose of them to prevent any untoward incidents. (Agencies)
