Vehicular movement at Prithvi Highway came to a grinding halt for hours after unidentified persons planted a socket bomb near a petrol pump along the Gajuri-Malekhu road section on Tuesday.

Vehicles that exited Kathmandu were stopped at Galchi and those coming from the west were halted at Jogimara as Nepal Army bomb disposal team defused the improvised explosive device (IED).

Gajuri Police Office Inspector Sanjay Timilsina informed that the NA team from Gajuri performed a controlled explosion to defuse the IED that was planted to create an atmosphere of fear in view of upcoming federal and provincial elections.