Kathmandu, September 25

A socket bomb was found on the premises of Lazimpat-based Hotel Shangri-La, causing panic among guests and staff in the facility last night.

A bomb disposal squad of Nepali Army rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area to defuse it. Someone had alerted the police control room about a suspicious object lying in an unclaimed state at around 9:00pm. The suspected bomb was wrapped with plastic straps.

A deputy superintendent of police, who was at the venue, told THT that the bomb disposal squad safely defused the ‘bomb-like’ object. “The suspicious object in sockets was rendered safe and its parts were sent to the lab to ascertain if it contained explosives,” he said.

No one has claimed responsibility for planting the object. There were no leaflets or messages left behind, the DSP informed.

“Some notorious elements might have planted the object to disturb the public order and festive mood. We have launched further investigation into the incident and are after the suspects,” he said, appealing to the public not to panic.