A bomb disposal unit safely detonated a “powerful pressure cooker bomb” in Savar on Wednesday afternoon, hours after the device was found wrapped in black tape near a mosque.

The explosion, carried out around 3:30 pm, produced a blast that shook the surrounding area and caused panic among residents about 500 metres away.

Locals at around midnight spotted a blue plastic drum left by three unidentified men on the grounds of the Laltek Ghora Mosque. Inside they found clothes and a pressure cooker. The cooker was removed and placed in the field, while the drum was moved beside a CCTV camera in front of the mosque.

At roughly 6 am, unidentified individuals collected the drum and left in an auto-rickshaw, locals said. Police were then alerted. The in-charge of the Bhabanipur police camp, Sub-Inspector Imran Hossain, said officers cordoned off the area and called in the Dhaka Metropolitan Police bomb disposal unit. The unit arrived at 1:45 pm, ordered the area evacuated, and neutralised the device at 3:28 pm.

“The area shook with a loud sound when the bomb was being neutralised. It was a very powerful bomb,” Savar police inspector (investigation) Nur Mohammad said. He added that senior officials would provide a detailed briefing later.