High-powered gelatine seized from Bhutanese refugee

Gangtok, Aug 21 (UNI) High-powered gelatine sticks were recovered from a suspected Bhutanese person by Sikkim police yesterday at Rhenock, East Sikkim.

Police today said the suspect Bhuddiman Bhujel (21) was roaming the Rhenock bazaar suspiciously with a friend when policemen stopped and searched them.

Police recovered 20 high powered gelatine sticks from a bag belonging to the suspected duo.

A diary bearing affiliation to Marxist Lennist Maoist of Bhutan and an audio-video tape micro-cassette labelled as footage of some rioting incidents at Beldangi (refugee camp at Nepal for Bhutanese refugees) were also recovered.

The second person identified as Prakash Adhikari,however, managed to flee.

Though the arrested Bhujel claims to be from Nepal, police suspect that he is from Bhutan and was living in Nepal as a refugee.

The other person who is absconding is also suspected to be a Bhutanese refugee.

The gelatine sticks have been traced to one Santosh Rai from Rhenock who was arrested today.

Police said Rai is working for hydel project companies and the explosives may have been pilfered from these companies and added that the explosives were meant to be taken outside Sikkim, possibly to Bhutan or Nepal.

A high-level team has been formed by police to probe the matter.

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