Fishermen have unearthed an American-made World War-II Era cylindrical bomb weighing 200 kg in the Subarnarekha River at Panipara in East Singhbhum in Jharkhand on Thursday (April 16, 2026).
This was the third such bomb found in the riverbed by fishermen, following which the Indian Army was called in to search the area and to defuse the bombs, district officials said.
Earlier, two similar cylindrical bombs, each weighing 227 kg, were found on the banks of the Subarnarekha at Panipara of Baheragora, 90 km from Jamshedpur.
Based on a tip-off from fishermen, the Indian Army carried out searches in the area on the evening of March 17 and on March 24 when the bombs were found, officials said.
The bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS) from the 23rd Infantry Division of the Indian Army, Ranchi headquarters, had defused both the bombs.
While one of the two was still live, the other turned out to be a dud. The bomb disposal took place inside a 30-feet deep trench on March 25.
“We have asked the district police to verify the details of the bomb found at Panipara. Once we get the report from the police, we will write to the Army, requesting to send the Infantry Division BDDS to Baheragora.
“Last time they had successfully defused the bombs safely after the entire area in a 1 km radius was sealed,” Karn Satyarthi, East Singhbhum deputy commissioner, said.
The Panipara fishermen found the third bomb in the Subarnarekha on Wednesday (April 15). They brought it out on the banks, and the police have cordoned off the site.
“We have cordoned off the site and posted security so that no one can go near the bomb. We have sent a report to Jamshedpur SSP Piyush Pandey today. Further action will be taken as per the guidance by the higher authorities,” Shankar Prasad Kushwaha, Baheragora police station officer-in-charge, said.