Newskarnataka – Karkala

Karkala: Biju Thomas, the prime  accused in the case of seizing of huge quantity of explosives at Nakre Durga, Kalya and other places in Karkala taluk has been arrested by the Karnataka State Police on Sunday night April 27 from Gurgaon district in Haryana.

Biju Thomas, a Keralite,  who owned the explosives seized, was on the run for the past one month. According to preliminary probe that Udupi district police carried out in this connection, the explosives were being supplied to illegal quarries in the area. Udupi police had initially seized about 230 bags of ammonium nitrate hidden in a trench from Chara village in Hebri.

It is learnt that he will be produced in the court on Tuesday April 29. Until then, he will be kept under police custody. Biju Thomas has been charged in connection with large scale seizure of explosive by Udupi district police. An approximate of 95 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was seized by police in Udupi recently.

Subsequently, the Udupi district police seized about 37,500 detonators from an abandoned vehicle near Tellar in Karkala taluk. More than 1,000 bags of ammonium nitrate were seized from a rubber plantation in Nakre of Karkala taluk prior to this. This was followed by another raid, where the police seized about 340 bags of ammonium nitrate, 500 gelatine sticks and 13,000 detonators.

Karkala ASP Annamalai has confirmed the arrest of Biju Thomas. He said Biju Thomas will be brought to Karkala on Tuesday. More information will be available only after he is subject to thorough interrogation, Annamalai said.

Sources say Biju Thomas enjoyed political patronage which helped him carry out his business fearlessly. Police have gathered information that he might be having many more hide-outs of explosives in rural areas. Other suspected accused in the case who were earlier interrogated and released are now once again facing fears of arrest with the  arrest of Biju Thomas.

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