RAJBIRAJ: Nepal Army's bomb disposal squad defused a powerful remote controlled improvised explosive device (IED) near the border security office of the Armed Police Force at Ranjitpur along the Rajbiraj-Kunauli road section in Saptari district on Tuesday morning.

Acting on a tip-off, police rushed to the site where they were able to arrest two suspects; Tej Narayan Yadav (40) of Chhinnamasta Rural Municipality and Sanjaya Kumar Raya of Bishnupur Rural Municipality, according to Superintendent of Police Mukesh Kumar Singh at the District Police Office, Saptari. Police seized a remote control to be used in detonating the explosives material RDX put inside a five-liter pressure cooker from their possession,

Acting upon the statement given by one of the detainees, police detected the IED with 2 kg explosive material RDX in a field near the border security office. The IED was later defused by the NA's Bhim Dal Battalion at around 8:00 this morning, DSP Singh added.

It has been learnt that the duo were allegedly planning to detonate the bomb targeting a particular house in Rajbiraj area.

“The bomb could have been set off by a remote control from anywhere within the distance of one kilometer” said SP Mukesh Kumar Singh.

Police have presumed the Netra Bikram Chand-led Communist Party of Nepal- Maoist as the mastermind behind the planning of the attack.

Meanwhile, the arrested duo are being interrogated for their alleged crime.

Elsewhere in the district, police arrested Surya Narayan Sutihar of Hanumannagar Kankalini Municipality with a pistol and two bullets from Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality on Monday night.