Homeless man found with old bomb

2013-03-08 16:00

(File, Sapa)

Durban - Police in Durban have defused a bomb they found in the trolley of a homeless man, it was reported on Friday.

Desmond Daniels, sales representative for the security firm UDI electronics, told The Witness a member of the public raised the alert about a man carting scrap metal along a road in Durban north on Thursday.

A security team had found the bomb in the homeless man's trolley.

The police were called, and the bomb squad removed the device from the trolley. It was placed on a patch of ground at the corner of Romsey Grove and Collard Road.

Police Colonel Vincent Mdunge told The Witness: "The origin [of the bomb] is not known. It's not the type of mortar bomb that has been used in recent times."

He said the bomb was old, possibly from World War II.

The man had told the police that he found the bomb in a field at Greenwood Park.

Mdunge said it might have been buried for years in the field and have become uncovered through natural soil erosion.

He said the homeless man disappeared after police questioned him.

According to reports, the mortar bomb was later taken away for disposal by the bomb unit.

- SAPA