Explosive-laden truck seized in Odisha, five held

Pic for representational use only

Koraput: A truck full of explosives was seized and five persons were arrested for illegal transportation of these materials in Koraput district, police said Sunday.

The vehicle was carrying the consignment from Chilkapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Koraput in Odisha and a police team intercepted it on the basis of a tip-off.

"We had information about the consignment and accordingly our team intercepted the truck near Pottangi, about 40 km from here, on National Highway 26," the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Koraput district, Kanwar Vishal Singh, said.

The driver and the helper of the truck, and two others escorting the vehicle were arrested immediately, he said, adding, the recipient of the consignment, G Laxmi Narayan, was nabbed later.

Police said that the truck was carrying detonators, gelatine sticks and codex wires.

During interrogation, Narayan said that he was supposed to supply the explosives to owners of stone quarries in the district, the SP said.

"Being a Maoist-hit district, there is every possibility of the explosives getting into the hands of the left-wing extremists. Hence, special teams have been formed to conduct raids and nab the traders who are illegally transporting explosives into the district," the SP said.

"If required, our team will also proceed to Andhra Pradesh to nab the suppliers," he added.