explosives

CHAPTER 4: Preservation of live explosives or remnants of explosives

Role of Investigating Officers & Police Officers reaching the scene
•1. As soon as the materials suspected to be live Bombs or Improvised Explosive Devices or components/constituents used for making Bombs and IEDs are recovered/seized,
•The I.Os should record in detail the list of items with full description, category wise in the form of Panchnama/Property Seizure Report in Form 66 of A.P. Police Manual.
What action should the IO take on encountering live explosives?
• Vacate the area
• Post a guard
• barricade with sand bags
• Avoid smoking and bringing any lighted material near the suspected place.
• Immediate requisition to the concerned expert need to be placed
• Age the explosive for 72 hours. Avoid direct contact.
• Photograph at site
• Observe presence of fuse or other initialing device
• X ray the device.
• Check with microphone for clock mechanism
• Check for foot and finger prints
• Look for hair, urine and tool marks
• Any splint or related material should be searched.
• Observe the writing on the device
• IO should wear flame heat and splinter proof protective shields.

2. Requisition for defusion of bombs and IEDs shall be given by the IO to the Bomb Disposal Team attached to Addl. DGP CID through concerned Court/Police officer of the rank of SDPO and above, whenever explosives are seized. In sensational and important, cases, requisition should be simultaneously given to the Director, FSL for deputation of scientific experts for physical inspection.
3. Under no circumstances, live bombs and explosives should be sent to FSL
4. All the samples collected by the Bomb Disposal Team officer should be handed over to the IO for further transmission to the FSL/RFSL through the concerned Court/SDPO along with the letter of advice and the Bomb Disposal Team officers findings in the form of report.
5. In all case's of explosions the IO should collect the residual explosion materials from the scene of crime. The Bomb Disposal Team Officers should be called to the scene of crime if any live bombs are suspected to be present even after explosion.
In sensational and important cases, Scientific Investigating Team of FSL should be called immediately by sending a requisition to Director, FSL to assess the damage, risk potential and the nature of explosion. The experts, who inspect the scene of explosion, will be in a position to collect relevant material for chemical analysis as well as make an in depth study of the damage and risk assessment.
6. The Investigating officers , while dealing with scenes of explosion should photograph and videograph the entire scene covering the surrounding areas and all portions of the scene. An overall sketch of the scene should be prepared, giving the specific details of damaged portions and surrounding areas. The weather and atmospheric conditions at the time of explosion should be recorded.
Statements of eyewitnesses in respect of time of explosion, sounds heard, colour and height of the flame and smoke observed, smell noticed etc. should be ascertained and recorded. The damage caused by the explosion should be described in detail with a sketch. The damage to neighbouring areas should also be described.
7. After removing the debris the Investigating officer should search for possible source materials responsible for the explosion. At this stage they should also look for any craters caused due to explosion by carefully removing the debris. If any crater is found, a photograph of the crater should invariably be taken and forwarded to FSL along with the physical dimensions of the crater properly measured using measuring tape, depth gauge etc. The type of the floor where the crater occurred should be described, such as loose soil, concrete, stone slabs, BT road etc.
8. Other information , such as the type of electrical connections, inflammable materials found at the scene, nature of activity carried out in the premises and the surrounding areas and any other relevant information leading to the cause of explosion should be furnished in order to properly identify the cause of explosion and risk assessment. All the above records, photographs, video tapes, sketches, notes, data, information would enable the scientific expert to arrive at the nature of explosion and the approximate quantity of explosive material that could have caused the explosion.
9. The Investigating officer will forward the materials seized from the scene of explosion to FSL through Court/SDPO. The IO should send these samples invariably through a messenger along with letter of advice, seizure record and other related documents.
10. In case the risk potential assessment is required in major explosions, the IO should forward full details of the remnants of materials seized along with a photographs of the scene of explosion. Any opinion regarding the cause of explosion, seat of explosion, quantity of explosive materials responsible for causing the explosion etc. Can be offered by FSL only when ….. FSL opinion requires a video tape, colour photographs and full description of the materials seized and the damages occurred are sent to FSL.

Role of Police Officers dealing with Unexploded Bombs (UXB)
•As soon as the materials suspected to make up live Bombs or IEDs or components/constituents used for making Bombs and IEDs are recovered/seized, the Investigating Officer should record in detail, the list of items with full description, category wise in relevant Form.
Unexploded Country Bombs (UXBs) made in soda water bottles, jam tins, Water cistern floats, chatties, coconut shells, bundles of jute, hemp or cloth, or bamboo tub book bombs and letter bombs may be designed to explode.
Bombs may be designed to explode
•(a) When moved in any way,
•(b) When turned over,
•(c) When placed in Water.
•(d) When thrown down.
•(e) When a fuse is lighted.
•(f) By a clockwork arrangement, or
•(g) By Chemical reaction.
Before touching the bomb, examine it where it lies and see if you can detect arrangement for exploding it. See if there is any trigger and, if so, whether it is safe to handle or not. Do not move the bomb unless you are satisfied that it is safe to do so.
It Police Officer is satisfied that there is no danger in its removal, then the bomb should be sent to the inspector of Explosives by hand, packed according to instructions contained in the booklet
•"Hand book of Forensic Science of P0 Officers, published by Andhra Pradesh Police Academy".
If the Investigative Officer is not satisfied, then a guard should be placed over the bomb and report to the senior officer and send telegrams immediately to the Chief Controller of Explosives, Nagpur as well as to the Deputy Controller of Explosives, Sultan Bazar, Hyderabad or Bomb Disposal Squad asking for assistance.
Role of Bomb Disposal Team
The Bomb Disposal Team (BDT) is responsible for defusion and disposal of Bombs/Explosives seized all over the state of Andhra Pradesh.
•(A) Whenever a requisition is received either in the form of a radio message or a letter, the Bomb Disposal Team attached to CID Hyderabad or other Organizations in Districts shall proceed to the place of seizure and follow the instructions contained herein.
(B) On reaching the spot, the BDT officer should commence the work on the basis the authorization from the Court/SDPO obtained by the IO by way of a letter and endorsement on the Property Seizure Report Form 66 of AP Police Manual copy of the authorisation letter/endorsement should be retained by the BDT officer in his file for record.
(C) Having been authorised by the relevant authority the BDT officers concerned should proceed for preliminary inspection of the materials.
(D) An overall survey of the material seized should be done for identification of nature of material. During this exercise, he should be able to make a preliminary assessment of nature and potential of the bombs which would ultimately be used in the selection of proper method for defusion and destruction/disposal of bomb
(E) He should verify the seals, labels, signatures of witnesses in whose presence materials were recovered by the IO. Any discrepancy should be recorded in files.
(F) He should carefully check the seized container and the contents thereof and verify that they tally with the description given in the property seizure form. description should also indicate the size, shape, colour and other physical de such as visual appearance etc., of the materials.
(G) He should maintain a separate record of all the observations in his file. Having satisfied that the materials, inspected by him are tallying with the seizure , he should decide the method of defusion.
(H) Defusion should invariably be done strictly in accordance with the safety security precautions. Different category of explosives require different type defusion procedures.
• In this connection the standard procedures laid down for handling, defusion, destruction and disposal should be carefully followed.(I) The next step is collection of samples to know the chemical composition assessing risk potential of the bombs. The BDT officer should broadly categorize the seized materials before collection of representative samples.