Nongpoh, Nov 3: Panic swept through Nongpoh town on Monday evening after a suspicious bag was found abandoned along National Highway 06, opposite the State Bank of India, leading residents to fear a possible bomb threat.

Police immediately rushed to the spot around 5 PM after being alerted by locals about the unattended bag. Given the uncertainty about its contents, officers cordoned off the area and summoned the Bomb Squad from Shillong to investigate.

After nearly two hours, the Bomb Squad arrived with a trained sniffer dog and carefully inspected the bag. To everyone’s relief, it was later found to contain only clothes and other personal belongings.

Authorities have since launched an investigation to trace the owner of the abandoned bag.

The tense situation came just weeks after an improvised explosive device (IED) weighing over four kilograms was discovered near a Rural Bank and the residence of a former Umsning MLA, which had left residents on edge.

Acting on that recent experience, police handled Monday’s incident with utmost caution before declaring the area safe.