Meghalaya police seize 1,525 kg explosives, six held

Shillong: The Meghalaya police have arrested six people with 1,525 kg of explosives and 6,000 detonators, from East Jaintia Hills district, bordering Bangladesh, officials said on Friday.

According to the police, acting on a tip-off, the security personnel led by senior officials during marathon raids on Wednesday and Thursday at the Four-Kilo area of the East Jaintia Hills district intercepted a Bolero vehicle and from the vehicle, explosives were recovered and two people arrested.

"Based on the clue shared by the two detainees, four more persons were arrested from a hideout at Khliehriat where the explosives were suspected to have been loaded in the vehicle.

Around 1,525 kg of explosives comprising gelatin sticks and other materials, 6,000 live detonators and rolls of fuse were seized in the methodical operations," a police official said.

The explosives were contained in ten cartons.

The police official said that a case has been registered under the Explosives Act and other relevant sections of IPC before launching a probe.

East Jaintia Hills district police Chief Deepak Kumar Palecha said that it was yet to be known from where the huge explosives were brought in and their actual destination and purpose.

"We are interrogating the six detainees and probing the recovery of the explosive materials. After the completion of the probe and questioning, we would be able to know the details," Palecha told IANS over the phone.

Of Meghalaya's 11 districts, seven districts including East Jaintia Hills district shared 443 km international borders with Bangladesh.

The East Jaintia Hills district also shared an inter-state border with Assam.