After elephant death, 70 Kg of live bombs seized in Odisha’s Angul; 1 arrested

Angul district police administration stepped up action on Sunday after an elephant recently died in a bomb blast incident. Acting swiftly, police carried out a raid on a grocery shop and seized around 70 kilograms of live bombs along with other explosive materials.

Also Read: Elephant dies during treatment after consuming explosive in Odisha

Police have arrested a person in this connection and initiated a detailed probe.

According to sources, the surprise raid was conducted at a grocery shop in Mahidharpur village under Banarpal police limits. During the operation, police recovered a large quantity of explosives and firecrackers illegally stored at the retail outlet. The arrested person is now being interrogated by the probe team to gather more information.

Officials said the crackdown is part of intensified efforts to curb the illegal storage and use of explosives, especially after the recent incident in which the elephant had lost its life due to a bomb explosion. Further investigation is underway to trace the source of the explosives and possible links to wildlife-related crimes.

However, no comments were received from the local police in this regard.

Worth mentioning, the elephant that became critically injured after allegedly consuming an explosive had died on Friday morning while undergoing treatment at the Elephant Rescue Centre in Kapilash locality of Dhenkanal district.

The animal had been shifted to the rescue centre in Airavat, a vehicle specially designed for elephant rescue operations, after its condition deteriorated rapidly.

The elephant had been first spotted in critical condition near Pathargada Sahi in Bantala forest area under Angul forest division. Senior veterinarian Dr Pradipta Kumar Singh had confirmed that the pachyderm had sustained serious injuries after consuming an explosive, suspected to have occurred around five to six days before being spotted.

The blast had caused deep wounds inside the elephant’s mouth, and Angul Divisional Forest Officer Nitish Kumar had stated that the incident could be linked to a trap laid by poachers, though the exact circumstances are still under investigation.