Imphal, Sep 18 - A car bomb was detected parked in the Manipur Raj Bhawan Friday, foiling a well-planned terror attack that could have blown up the governor's office-cum-residence.

A police spokesperson said a Maruti car was parked in the complex and was discovered around 2 p.m., triggering a scare.

Governor Gurbachan Jagat, a former police chief of Jammu and Kashmir, was in the Raj Bhawan when the bomb was found.

'Preliminary investigations reveal that moulded gelatin fitted to a mobile telephone handset was cleverly concealed in the back seat. The bomb has been detonated by experts,' Imphal police chief L. Kailun told IANS. 'This is definitely a terror act and we are on the job to find out more.'

'Investigations are now on to ascertain how the car managed to enter Raj Bhawan,' the police chief said.