Pune: A Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), designed and developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has been inducted into the Pune police on an experimental basis to help in detection and disposal of bombs, a senior official said Tuesday.

The vehicle, 'Daksh', will be with the city police for the next six months and it will be used by the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS), Police Commissioner K Venkatesham said.

"The robot will be with the Pune police for six months but if there is a need, we will think of procuring it for the police force in future," he added.

Daksh has been developed at the DRDO's Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), Pune.

The vehicle is capable of climbing stairs as well as negotiating cross-country terrain and has an onboard shotgun for blasting through door locks and breaking the windshield to handle likely car bombs.

The electrically-powered machine is also capable of towing a suspected vehicle away from a crowded area.

News Agencies