A large cache of explosives and detonators was seized by police at the Siliguri town in North Bengal. Acting on a tip off on Saturday night, police raided a house in the Darjeeling More area of the town and arrested three Nepalese citizens.
“We have seized 609 gelatin sticks, 200 detonators and 630 metres of cordex wire (used in explosives),” Commissioner of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police C.S. Lepcha told The Hindu on Sunday. Ms. Lepcha also said that three Nepalese citizens — Dawa Shering Bhutia alias Dawa Gurung (50), his wife Puja Limbu (35) and Krishna Prasad Adhikari (40) — were arrested during the raid.
According to police sources Bhutia is a “professional carrier,” who delivers various equipment to vendors. However, police did not disclose the details of the equipment he used to deliver. “While Bhutia worked in a coal mine in Shillong in Meghalaya, Adhikari worked as a security guard in an automobile shop in Siliguri,” sources said, adding that they have been living in Siliguri for nearly three months in a rented house.
However, the police is yet to ascertain the accuseds’ exact motive behind possessing the explosives and whether they are related to any outfits . “We are probing all aspects of the case. It is too early too say whether the accused are related to any outfits as the investigation is going on,” Ms. Lepcha said.
Locals said that there is considerable tension in the area following the development as this was the “first time such huge quantity of explosives” have been seized in the town.
