Newskarnataka – Karkala
Karkala : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has been requested by the Karkala police to investigate the case wherein they have confiscated explosive materials worth Rs 2 crore, detected in six places across the district.
The prime accused, 45-year-old Biju Thomas from Kottayam, Kerala is still absconding. He was staying near Joduraste in Kukkundoor in the taluk until he escaped. The police have intensified their search for him.
Biju Thomas had purchased the rubber plantation at Nakre. He then accumulated and illegally stocked the explosive materials in the shed located in the plantation. He would supply the explosives to a number of mines and quarries across Karkala; moreover these explosive materials were placed in the sheds of various quarries, and police raided them too.
Earlier there were reports that Biju would store ammonium nitrate explosives weighing several tons in his house at Ajekar. It is said that he supplies explosives for illegal quarries in the taluk.
Around two years ago, a case was filed against him in a Kerala police station for illegally stocking up explosives. The Kerala police had then arrived in Karkala and with the help of the local police taken him into custody but later released on bail. Biju continued to illegally stock up explosives thus he is now he is wanted by the Karkala police.
As the NIA conducts investigations into cases related to terrorism and Naxalism, the police have sought NIA’s help as they suspect that the large cache of explosives seized may have been meant not just for quarries but for unlawful activities too.
On Tuesday March 25 raided a place at Tellaru Indrabailu in Durga village of Karkala taluk, have seized huge quantity of Ammonium Nitrate. The police found raw materials worth Rs one crore, 60-70 tons of ammonium nitrate, 43,000 electric detonators, and safety fuse about 19,000 metre in length. The total value of the seized materials is over Rs 1.5 crore.
On Thursday March 27, the police confiscated explosive materials worth Rs 4.8 lac, along with a pickup truck from Ashok Nagar in Kalya village near Belman. Police found explosives such as 500 Gelitin stick, 700 electronics detonators, sun 90 excluse-500, 3 boxes of safety fuse, and 350 bags of ammonium nitrate.
Explosives had also been recovered from different places within the taluk during the last few of days. The police are yet to collect details as to how Biju would sell these explosives, who were his buyers, and who support him in these activities. Police have now begun investigation under the guidance of NIA as to whether this activity has also been extended to other taluks, districts, and states.
