A woman found an object suspected to be a mortar shell while foraging for bamboo shoots in a wooded area near the side of a road in Taman Tanjung Minyak here today.

Melaka Tengah district police chief ACP Christopher Patit said the woman, 32, found object was found near a Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) substation at around 3.15 pm when she was foraging for bamboo shoots around 30 metres from her sibling’s house.

Following a police report, a bomb disposal unit from the Melaka police contingent headquarters conducted an ‘offensive search’ around the area and did not find any other suspicious objects.

“Further investigations revealed that the object was a 60 milimetre practice mortar, which was rusted and had been launched previously. It was confirmed to have not contained any explosives,” he said in a statement tonight.

The mortar shell was brought back by the unit for further action as the area was unsuitable for disposal, he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency