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CHENNAI: Tiruvallur police successfully destroyed leftover arms and ammunition, seized from 12 scrap units in 2008. They were allegedly meant for use in the Iran-Iraq war. A senior police official told TNIE the long-pending exercise was carried out in a safe manner in the last two days in a stone quarry under the guidance of Indian Army experts.
The quarry was secured, all safety precautions were taken, including alerting the villagers not to venture into the location, the officer said. “Around 210 ammunition of varying sizes, including live bombs, and around 40 rocket launchers were destroyed,” an official said, adding the scrap generated after the disposal exercise would be cleared in the next two days. Police said the exercise was carried out in a stone quarry at a village in R K Pet police station limits.
The explosives and arms, allegedly meant for use in the Iran-Iraq war, were inside a consignment, containing iron scrap, imported from the Middle East by some firms in SIPCOT. The issue surfaced only after some explosives went off in 2008, injuring two persons. SIPCOT police had registered a case and seized around 1,500 explosive materials from 12 scrap units where they were dumped.
However, the destruction exercise was reportedly initiated only in March this year in a forest area near Pathiravedu in Gummidipoondi. The exercise was stalled mid-way after locals raised objections, after which the leftover explosives were taken back, the official said.
