By IANS,
Raipur : The police in Chhattisgarh Tuesday seized a huge cache of explosives from a truck close to its border with Jharkhand. Officials suspect that the material was meant for the Maoists to carry out attacks in the run-up to the general elections.
A truck was seized at a check-post at Lodam area in Maoist-affected Jashpur district, 450 km of here, and was found to contain five tonnes of explosives, including ammonium nitrate, gelatin sticks and chemicals used for making landmines.
It also had 17,750 rounds of bullets for 12-bore guns and 1,550 rounds of bullets used for 9-mm pistols. The driver and helper escaped when they saw the police approach.
“It’s a full consignment of explosives. The forested area where the truck was seized has been cordoned off. We suspect the supply was for the Maoists to step up violence in the run-up to the polls,” Pawan Deo, deputy inspector general at police headquarters, told IANS.
He said the truck entered the state from Jharkhand. According to police officials in Jashpur, the vehicle was registered in Bihar.
Jashpur district superintendent of police Akbar Ram Korram told IANS over phone, “The explosives were stuffed in sacks in the truck along with rice and some other food items.”
“The truck was on its way from Bihar’s Muzaffarpur town to Raipur’s Pandri area. A police team has left for Bihar to gather details,” Korram said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Raman Singh praised the police for the recovery of explosives, which he said were “definitely meant for terrorism activities in the state”.