Seven live cartridges in Kotla stadium before India-Australia ODI

Seven live cartridges were found in a stadium packed with over 40,000 spectators, just two hours before the India-Australia second one-day international cricket match here Saturday, police said Monday.

The bullets were recovered during a search of the Feroz Shah Kotla cricket stadium by the personnel of bomb detection squad (BDS) and dog squad.

"It was a routine check when our men came across seven cartridges wrapped in paper and placed in the second floor bathroom of the stadium. These bullets have an effective range of 10-15 feet if fired from close range," a police officer said.

The live cartridges were found around 12.30 p.m., just two hours before the second India-Australia ODI was to begin.

"We have registered a case at the I.P. Estate police station under arms act. We are trying to ascertain how these bullets reached the stadium and since when they were lying there," the officer said.

The police have sought a list of people who work in the stadium and also about those who have access inside.

Senior officers said the bullets may have been kept to cause a disturbance during the match.

"There could be many possibilities to it. It could be for firing blindly at masses to cause stampede or bullets could have been kept a long time ago with an intention of hiding them. So we were working on all possible angles," the officer added.

The police said the matter was kept secret as it could have created unnecessary panic among the people and authorities Saturday.

Last updated on Nov 2^nd, 2009 at 16:00 pm IST--IANS