Army commando finds mortar shell just 30m away from his house in Melaka

MELAKA: An army commando has discovered a mortar shell just 30m away from his house here.

Zakaria Ismail, 32, said he and other family members were at his house in Taman Tanjung Minyak here to celebrate his mother-in-law’s birthday.

He said he was looking for bamboo shoots to cook a dish for the birthday party when he came across the shell at about 3pm on Thursday (Aug 31).

“I saw a shiny object in the shrubs and grabbed it without realising what it was.

“I immediately informed my father-in-law and a relative lodged a police report,” he said.

Melaka Tengah OCPD Asst Comm Christopher Patit said a 32-year-old woman lodged a report at Tanjung Minyak police station on Thursday.

He said a bomb disposal unit was sent to the scene and recovered the shell, which was 30cm long.

However, he said the shell was meant to be used for training purposes and did not contain explosives.

The shell was then taken to the state police weapons division for further checks and disposal.