located in the vicinity of divisional headquarters, Nagarnar Thana police seized tons of explosives from a truck coming from Andhra Pradesh. As driver and conductor had no valid papers for the explosives being carried, the police arrested the duo and were interrogating them.
According to police, acting on a tip off they stopped a truck coming from Shrikakulam of Andhra Pradesh through Odisha to Bastar and unearthed explosives like Gelatine, Ammonium Nitrate, detonators stuffed in the vehicle. Driver and conductor of the truck failed to show valid papers for carrying the explosives neither had they intimated the Bastar police about it. Some Xerox papers were recovered from the supervisor of the company Krishna Murthy which the police found inadequate.
The Nagarnar police are further conducting enquiry at places like Shrikakulam in Andhra Pradesh from where the explosives allegedly originated and Pakhanjur in Kanker district and Kodenar, Chhapar and Bhanpuri in Bastar district where the explosives were destined to reach. These places are highly infested of Maoist insurgency.
According to supervisor of the company Kishna Murthy, 83 mm booster 50 packets, 25 mm gelatin 2 packets, tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate and 2 packets of detonator fuse were filled in the truck. The suspicion of police about the consignment being illegal deepened as according to experts carrying Ammonium Nitrate and detonator in same vehicle is forbidden. Besides three places of Bastar, gun powder was also destined to reach Parpa and Bakawand but paper of none was with the duo, the police claimed.
According to supervisor Murthy, gunpowder was to be delivered to Kanker district’s Pakhanjur situated Pioneer Pine Construction Company limited, information regarding which has already been given to Kanker Superintendent of police.