Explosive materials seized in Cgh; seven held

Police recovered a huge cache of explosive materials, including 120 sacks of ammonium nitrate and 4000 detonators, from two places in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh district and arrested seven persons, a senior official said today.

A consignment of explosives was seized from a pick-up vehicle under Sarangarh police station area late last night when it was being taken to Timarlaga stone quarry area for illegal sell, said Raigarh Additional Superintendent of Police Harish Rathore.

He said three of the five persons accompanying the consignment were arrested from the spot while two others, who escaped during the operation, were picked up from neighbouring Janjgir-Champa district later.

They are identified as: Prakash Agrawal, Khirsagar Netam, Netram Sahu, Ajay Nagarchi and Dineshwar.

The seizure consisted of 4000 detonators, four bundles of explosive wick, and 123 boxes of Neogel explosive, he said.

Based on the interrogation of the arrested persons, 120 sacks of ammonium nitrate were seized from a godown in Baramkela area, the ASP said.

Godown owner Ashok Agrawal, a relative of Prakash Agrawal, and Janjgir-Champa based Venkat Satyanarayan who deals in explosive materials, were also arrested in this connection, the ASP added.

Prakash Agrawal had allegedly procured explosive materials from Satyanarayan for selling it to operators of stone quarries in Timarlaga area, he said.

"When he failed to produce documents in support of the deals, the action was taken against him and others persons," the officer said.

The accused were booked under sections 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC and under The Explosive Substances' Act, 1908 and Explosives Act, 1984, he said.