Huge cache of explosives seized at Palakkad

PNS | Palakkad

A huge cache of explosives which included around 1,000 electric detonators, 5,000 ordinary detonators, 1,000 gelatin sticks and around 1,200 metres of fuse wires, was seized from a car at Mankara near Palakkad on Wednesday morning.

Muraleedharan, driver of the car, a native of Pattambi in Palakkad district, was arrested. The explosives were seized from the ambassador car near Mankada Panchayat, the police said. Preliminary report said that the car carrying the explosives bought from Olavankode were being transported to Pattambi

This was the third seizure of explosives in the State in less than a month. Explosives were earlier seized from Kadalundi and Manjeri in Malappuram district. In perhaps the biggest haul of explosives in the State, the Kerala Police had on April 21 recovered several quintals of explosives materials from a chemical fertilizer depot at Manjeri in the Muslim-majority Malappuram district.

The explosive materials seized from the fertilizer depot owned by Kunhikkoya of Thorrumukku, Melakkam,Manjeri included 2,925 kilos of ammonium nitrate, 195 detonators and 60 metres of fuse. Police officials said it was mysterious that such a huge quantity of explosives was stocked in the fertilizer shop and its warehouse.

A special investigation team, headed by K Radhakrishnan, DySP, Narcotics, had been constituted to investigate into the matter. The explosives were seized during a raid held as part of the investigations into the seizure of 71 gelatin sticks from Kadalundi on April 4.

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