In a major haul, the Thane city crime branch sleuths have arrested two persons and seized 8.86 kilograms of depleted Uranium (DU) from them.
Talking to media persons here on Wednesday, Thane's Joint Commissioner of Police Asutosh Dhumre said that acting on a tip-off, the crime branch officials had arrested two persons possessing DU, after laying a trap for them near a hotel along the Ghodbunder Road at Thane on Tuesday.
A search of the two persons revealed that they were carrying DU in several pockets.
The officials had the samples of the seized DU tested at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) as DU. The percentage of Uranium contained in the DU ranged from 87.70 per cent to 79.50 per cent.
"Though slightly radi0-active, the depleted uranium is a poisonous heavy metal like lead or mercury. It can be used in making weapons and explosives. The DU is in a dangerous heay metal," Thane Police Commissioner Parambir Singh told "The Pioneer" later in the evening.
The police did not did not identify two persons arrested by them in connection with the seizure of DU.
The police said that the two arrested persons had come to Thane in search of customers to sell DU.
The DU is not available in open market. The value of seized DU is estimated to be around Rs 27 crore in the international market.