Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Police Wednesday claimed to have so far recovered 3.8 tonnes of the five tonnes of explosives looted by Maoists from near a store quarry in Sundergarh district on May 27.
Odisha DGP Y B Khurania, while addressing a press conference, said that of the 3.8 tonnes of explosives, one tonne of gelatin was recovered Tuesday night.
He said the state police, with assistance from CRPF, COBRA, Jharkhand’s Jaguar, and Odisha’s SOG and District Voluntary Force (DVF), had launched the search operation in the nearby forests on the night of May 27.
He lauded the security forces for their dedicated efforts in recovering the explosives.
“So far, we have recovered three-fourths of the explosives looted by Maoists and are optimistic about recovering the remaining explosives. The search operation is underway,” the DGP said.
Earlier in the day, DIG (Western Range) Brijesh Rai told PTI that the security personnel recovered 1,000 kg of explosives Tuesday night.
On Monday, around 2.5 tonnes of explosives were recovered, he said, adding that the explosives were buried in the dense jungle.
A group of 25-30 Maoists robbed a truck transporting explosives to the Banko stone quarry in the K Balang area May 27.
“The search operation is underway in the dense forests of adjoining Jharkhand,” Rai said.
Meanwhile, Odisha Police arrested the owner of an explosive warehouse, Sraban Agarwal, and the driver of the truck Tuesday.
Replying to a question, the DGP admitted that the SOP meant for carrying explosives was not adhered to when the incident took place.
He said the police will inspect various magazines where explosives are stored in the three mineral-rich police districts of Sundergarh, Rourkela and Keonjhar.
“We will ensure that the SOP is adhered to while storing and transporting explosives,” he added.
