The Mangaon police in Raigad have arrested a man for illegal possession of 945 detonators and 46 gelatin rods, and another for supplying them to him, from Ratnagiri.
Umar Mohammad Hamar Jaheer Kazi used to make explosives, while Shantilal Gadriwas was the supplier, the police said.
Police inspector Vikram Jagtap from Mangaon police station said, “We raided house no. 2 in Dattaram Tetgure chawl at Dhalghar village on Sunday and found detonators and gelatin rods used to make the explosives. Mr. Kazi has claimed that he made the explosives for blasting work at a nearby quarry. We are verifying the claim, and if the quarry has been functioning legally.”
On August 31, two villagers from Rile Adivasi Wadi in Mangaon, Ravindra Krishna Jadhav (19) and his father, Krishna Lakshman Jadhav (45), were injured in an explosion. “When we learned that the Jadhavs had explosives on their farm, we started investigating the source,” Mr. Jagtap said.
The police found that the Jadhavs got the explosives from Mr. Kazi to use while fishing. Fishermen use explosives to make a sound to attract fish. The Jadhavs mishandled the explosives, causing a blast, the police said.
According to the police, Mr. Kazi was arrested for making the explosives without permission or safety measures. Mr. Kazi revealed that Mr. Gadri, a resident of Ratnagiri, used to supply the detonators and gelatin rods, following which a team nabbed Mr. Gadri.
The two men have been arrested under Sections 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act.