Cops seize explosives in Aurangabad and Jehanabad

By: Ramashankar and Premendra Mishra
PATNA/AURANGABAD: Police seized around 1,000 gelatin sticks and 372kg of explosives from a sport utility vehicle (SUV) in Maoist-hit Aurangbad district on Friday. In Jehanabad also, the police recovered explosive materials used in making tiffin bombs. The recovery of a huge consignment of explosives in the run-up to the first phase of Lok Sabha election has unnerved top officers at the state police headquarters.
Acting on a tip-off, a police team led by sub-inspector Sanjay Kumar intercepted a vehicle near Batane bridge under the Mufassil police station area in Aurangabad.The cops were stunned to find huge stock of explosives being transported in an SUV bearing the registration number of neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. As the cops were busy searching the vehicle, the driver and another occupant tried to escape. However, they were caught and taken to the Mufassil police station.
Aurangabad SP Deepak Burnwal said the explosives were recovered during a vehicle checking drive launched in the district in view of the general election. Since Aurangabad is going to polls in the first phase on April 11, all the police stations have been put on alert and intensive vehicle checking drive launched.
“The two arrested people are being interrogated. The suppliers’ links with Maoists are being verified,” the SP told this newspaper over the phone.
The seized SUV is owned by one Shiv Chandra, a resident of Chainpura in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh. The SP didn’t rule out the possibility of use of the seized explosive material in the elections. The SP said the explosives were of high quality and could have caused extensive damage to life and property of the people.
The SP said a police team will soon visit Uttar Pradesh to gather more information about the supply of explosives and use of the SUVs in the trade. “A special police team has been assigned to investigate the case,” he said, adding the arrested persons’ antecedents were being verified. “Efforts are on to identify the man who was supposed to receive the consignment,” the SP said.
In another raid, the Jehanabad police recovered explosive materials used for making tiffin bombs on Friday. The explosives were stocked near a brick kiln outside Daulatpur village under the Bishunganj police station area in the district. The raid was carried out by additional SP (operation) Ayodhya Kumar, who was tipped off about the explosives being stocked ahead of the election.
Jehanabad SP Manish Gupta said gelatin sticks, sulphur, two tiffin bombs, electric wire and tape were recovered during the police operation. However, nobody was arrested. “The area has been condoned off and the spot where the explosives were stored has been sealed. Forensic experts will collect evidences from the spot,” he said.
Notably, the seizures were made on the day senior officials of the police and election commission were holding a meeting at Gaya to assess the security arrangements for the Lok Sabha election.
All the four Lok Sabha constituencies — Aurangabad, Gaya, Nawada and Jamui — which will go to polls in the first phase, are Maoist-hit and the region is considered a hotbed of the ultra-left outfit.
“We are keeping a close watch on the supply of explosives and illegal firearms from outside the state,” said a senior IPS officer posted at the state police headquarters.