TV
Maoists were behind the loot of around 5 tonnes of explosives that were on their way to Banko stone quarry under K. Balang police limits in Sundargarh district. Out of the total explosives, Odisha Police has been able to recover 3.8 tonnes of explosives, informed DGP YB Khurania on Wednesday.
At a presser, Odisha Police DGP informed that the incident occurred on May 27, and subsequently, efforts were intensified with assistance from their Jharkhand counterparts.
Background of the loot
Initial reports came that armed Maoists intercepted a truck carrying licensed commercial explosives near the Banko stone quarry under K. Balang police limits. Nearly 150 packets of gelatin sticks and other high-intensity explosives, weighing about 5 tonnes, were looted.
Response Of Odisha Police
Following the incident, Odisha Police had constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), and a massive search operation was launched with the help of Jharkhand police. The investigation into the matter is still underway, informed the Odisha DGP. A massive combing operation was launched by a joint team of the CRPF, SOG, and the elite COBRA unit.
Explosive Warehouse Owner Arrested
Also Read: Explosives loot by Maoists in Odisha: Sundargarh warehouse owner arrested as probe deepens
On Tuesday, police arrested Shravan Agrawal, the owner of the explosive warehouse in Badgaon, along with a driver.
“We got credible input that a vehicle was abandoned near a petrol pump. On searching, we recovered the explosives and we arrested a person and a driver,” informed the DGP.
SOP Under Scrutiny
The senior Odisha Police official informed that an investigation has been launched to ascertain whether the existing SOPs are being followed as far as storage, transportation of explosives are concerned.
“In this case, the SOP was not followed, as when the movement of the explosive was being done, they had not shared any information. All the recovered and seized explosives have been kept in safe custody,” he added.
