Ninety-six landmines have been recovered from Betbaria village in Gangni upazila of Meherpur. On Monday afternoon, the Army’s Bomb Disposal Unit, arriving from the Jashore Cantonment, conducted an operation to recover the mines, taking them to a safe location later and destroying them.

Last Saturday, a farmer named Kalu Malitha discovered explosive-like objects underground while working in his field and subsequently informed the law enforcement agencies. Upon receiving the information, police and BGB members cordoned off the site from that day to avoid the risk of casualties. The Army’s Bomb Disposal Unit later arrived to conduct the recovery operation.

A 19-member expert team from the Jashore Cantonment excavated the soil in stages this afternoon to recover the mines. Among the recovered items were 79 anti-personnel mines and 17 anti-tank mines. After inspecting the explosives, the experts took them to a safe place away from the village and destroyed them through a controlled explosion. The operation was led by Major Tarikul Islam of the Army.

Locals have stated that the recovery of such a large number of mines has spread panic in the surrounding areas. Residents have expressed concern over how these explosives ended up in that field and whether there are more mines in the vicinity. They have demanded a further search of the entire area.

Gangni Police Station’s Inspector (Investigation) Officer, Shimul Kumar Das, said that the site is still under a security cordon. Law enforcement agencies are monitoring the area to ensure there are no other explosives remaining.