A Nepal Army bomb disposal team disposed a suspicious object along Koshi Highway at Sampang Chowk in Dharan on Tuesday.

The highway was closed for three hours after the object was discovered. Police later confirmed the object was not a bomb but was planted there to spread terror.

Police suspected it might have been planted by Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist before the local level elections.

Security in Sunsari district has been stepped up after a bomb was found and later disposed at CPN-UML's mayoral candidate Tara Subba's house. Subba is running for the mayoral post in Dharan sub-metropolitan city.