Tamluk: Police officials stared in horror when a detailed search revealed a total of 90,000 detonators, which is almost five times more than what it was estimated on Wednesday. This is biggest seizure of detonators in the state in recent times. Police also managed to make another arrest in this regard. After an extensive search, police managed to make another arrest for smuggling in a huge cache of detonators that was seized on Wednesday.

Driver Guddu Singh and his accomplice Suvo Singh were produced in court and remanded in 14 days of police custody, said East Midnapore district SP Sukesh Jain.

A detailed search led police to a total of 90,000 detonators stashed in five sacks, the biggest recovery of detonators in the state in recent times.

On Wednesday, police seized five sacks stashed with detonators. The number initially estimated as 20,000 increased manifold overnight. it was reported that It is not 20,000 detonators had been seized by police.

The detonators were produced by Ideal Detonators Private Limited based in Andhra Pradesh. After the production, the detonators reached Orissa, where . There it was packed – 18,000 detonators in each sack. Each sack contained 37 packets of , each packet containing 500 detonators each.

A Tata Indica was intercepted from Kolagaht Bridge on Wednesday, after the driver tried to sped past the traffic snarl by violating the lane. the Ebut a much bigger cache of detonators that East Midnapore Police stumbled upon on Wednesday evening. Police found as many as 90,000 detonators in five sacks, the biggest ever recovery of detonators recent time in the state. On Wednesday evening, police first recovered a sack containing 18,000 detonators from a car. But a detailed search led to recovery of four more sacks. Suvo Singh, the person accompanying driver Guddu Singh, who managed to flee from the car when police came raiding, was arrested. Suvo is a resident of Sherpur, Bihar. On Thursday, police produced Suvo Singh in Tamluk court. He and Guddu, who was later found and arrested, were remanded in police custody for 14 days, said East Midnapore district SP Sukesh Jain.

After thoroughly interrogating the duo through Wednesday night and Thursday morning, cops learnt the consignment was being taken to Asansol. On Wednesday nigh and Thursday morning, the district police carried out a marathon interrogation of the duo. Police learnt that the consignment was bound to Asansol.

“In all probability, it might have been booked by coal mafias of Asansol and Jharia. The latter often use such detonators to blast off the mouth of coal mines. Earlier too, Asansol Commissionerate had recovered similar cache of explosives meant for blasting of illegal coal mines,” said an investigator.

Though the driver and his aide hail from Bihar, the However, Tata Indica car bore the registration number of Jharkhand. The district police has formed two teams. While one will go to is going to Bihar, the other team will go and other one to Orissa. Already the names of five states have cropped up during the investigation. “We hope to register a breakthrough in the case fast,” said Jain.

However, police are not ruling neither ruled out the possibility of the consignment having been booked by the Maoists. Since there is an intense vigil along Salboni route, the shipment might have been smuggled along this route. It might have been smuggled to Purulia from Asansol and then to Jangalmahal, said another investigator.

Already, the case dragged the names of five states. The detonators were produced by Ideal Detonators Private Limited based in Andhra Pradesh. After the production, the detonators reached Orissa. There it was packed – 18,000 detonators in each sack. Each sack contained 37 packets, each packet containing 500 detonators.

But their luck ran out while passing Kolaghat bridge. There was a specific tip-off about explosives being smuggled out, so there was quite a strong force searching the passing cars. As the car got stuck in traffic snarl on Kolaghat bridge, Guddu and Suvo started panicking seeing police. They tried to sped past the snarl by violating lane. This only helped police to zero in on the car.

The district police has formed two teams one is going to Bihar and other one to Orissa. “We hope to register a breakthrough in the case fast,” said Jain.