Explosives seized in Chhattisgarh capital

Raipur, May 22 (UNI) Police seized huge quantity of explosives from a truck at the outskirts of the state capital here today.

Inspector General of Police Y K S Thakur told UNI that the truck, carrying explosives, was found parked near Nandanvan, about 10 kms from here. He said the vehicle along with explosives, apparently gelatin rods used for explosion in stone quarries, had been seized.

Mr Thakur said preliminary investigations revealed that the truck, carrying explosives, was stolen from Janjgir-Champa district. Asked whether the police was probing any naxalite angle, he said ''its premature to say anything about it''.

The seizure of explosives assumes significance in view of the Naxalite activities in nearly a dozen out of 18 districts in the state. Few months ago, police had seized huge cache of weapons from a busy locality in the state capital, leading to arrest of few Maoist cadres active in the urban areas.

UNI JJ SP 1640