SURAT, India, July 30 (UPI) -- Police found and defused 18 bombs in Surat, known as India's diamond city, on the heels of the serial blasts in neighboring Ahmedabad that killed 49 people.
The low-intensity bombs were found in and around the city's Varacha area, the center of the diamond trade, the Press Trust of India reported Wednesday. Surat accounts for 80 percent of the world's diamond polishing business.
Authorities said they were relieved the bombs were found and defused before causing any damage.
"Most of the information regarding the bombs had come from people. I would request the people to be more alert and immediately inform the police if they find any suspicious material," Surat Police Commissioner R.M.S. Brar told reporters.
The Times of India quoted forensic experts as saying the Surat bombs failed to explode because of technical flaws in chips wired in them. Authorities told the newspaper the use of integrated circuits was a first.
The entire country has been put on alert since the Ahmedabad blasts Saturday, which followed similar serial blasts the previous day in India's information technology hub of Bangalore.
A group identifying itself as the Indian Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the explosions. Intelligence authorities also have not ruled out the role of some of the known Islamic terrorist groups.
