Explosives Seized from Locked Stone-Crushing Unit in Birbhum; NIA Probes Smuggling Racket
Huge Cache of Detonators, Gelatin Sticks, and Ammonium Nitrate Uncovered Amid NIA's Ongoing Explosives Smuggling Investigation
In a major event, Birbhum police found a large amount of explosives inside a sealed stone-crushing machine in Nalhati, Birbhum. The explosives included detonators, gelatin sticks, and ammonium nitrate. This information is made at a crucial time when the National Investigative Agency (NIA) is aggressively looking into a larger explosives smuggling operation in the state.
Following a credible tip, police officials entered the closed stone-crushing unit's headquarters in Chandannagar village, Birbhum's Nalhati, early on Saturday. After a three-hour long operation, an incredible 700 kg of ammonium nitrate, 24,000 gelatin sticks, and 20,000 detonators were extracted.
Raj Narayan Mukherjee, the head of police in Birbhum, said that a comprehensive inquiry had been launched by the authorities to ascertain the source of these explosives. No one has been taken into custody in relation to the confiscated materials as of yet.
Although initial results indicate that the explosives were meant to be used in illicit stone mines, detectives are looking into other possible explanations for this concerning finding. Six police station areas in Birbhum are home to a network of stone mines and crusher machines, where legal enterprises are able to receive explosives via special license from the mining department. However, illegal mine owners often turn to employing explosives that have been smuggled in.
The size of this explosives haul becomes even more significant given the NIA's current investigation into a bigger smuggling operation involving gelatin sticks and detonators in the state. After a similar event in July of the previous year, when Bengal's special task team confiscated explosives from Birbhum's Mohammedbazar, the central agency had already launched this probe.
Separately, the federal agency detained Manoj Ghosh, a member of the Trinamul gram panchayat, in June of this year on suspicion of storing explosives. Islam Chowdhury was detained in relation to the case as well.
The state police's tactics have drawn political criticism, with Dhruba Saha, the president of the BJP district, claiming that they are a diversionary technique. Saha accuses Trinamul officials of being involved in an explosives smuggling ring and says the NIA need to handle the investigation.
In response, a Trinamul leader said that the party had no involvement in these illegal operations and that he was certain the judicial system would reveal the truth. The goal of the investigations is still to sort out the intricacies surrounding the explosives that were found and whether or not they are connected to a wider, illegal network.
