A parcel at a post office here exploded on Tuesday morning when employees were busy at work.

Siliguri Metropolitan Police and the bomb squad of CID rushed to Pradhannagar post office in Champasari for a probe. The police have detained the recipient of the parcel and sent the salvaged bits of the parcel for tests. No injury or casualty, however, was reported.

The post office opened at 10am, said postmistress Archana Dey, adding it was a routine day. “Parcels were ready for delivery. Around 11am, one of the parcels suddenly exploded. It sounded like a cracker and we saw thick black smoke coming out of the packet.”

A policeman who happened to be at the post office for some work immediately contacted Pradhannagar police station.
The parcel was sent from Amritsar and a Champasari resident was supposed to receive it. The recipient, who had called up the post office earlier to inquire if it had arrived, was detained for interrogation.

The police and bomb squad could not find anything suspicious in the other parcels at the post office, Dey added.