Detonators heist case: West Singhbhum police get leads

JAMSHEDPUR: A day after the Maoists decamped with 7,000 detonators from the storehouse of a private explosives supplying company located in Parambaljori forest area under Kiriburu police station limits on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, the West Singhbhum police on Saturday said it has got leads in the case. No person has been detained for questioning in connection with the incident till the filing of the report.
Kiriburu sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Ajit Kumar Kujur said, “The police has got information about the direction in which the rebels have fled with the explosives. The forces are conducting raids in the suspected hideouts, besides conducting search operation on the route that has been reportedly taken by the fleeing rebels.”
SDPO Kujur stated, “Our focus is on identifying the squad responsible for perpetuating the crime.” The police are taking help of the sniffer dog squad and metal detectors to trace the stolen detonators and the accused. Preliminary investigation is limited to the district, he added. The magazine house is situated on the borders of Odisha.
The police team, which reached the site, apprised the senior officials that the rebels had taken three unarmed guards at the explosives’ storehouse hostage and decamped with detonators. Around 70 to 80 ultras, carrying weapons, raided the site. Further, women members of the outfit were also part of the squad, the guards told the police.
Meanwhile the rebels had also attempted to rob the detonators from another storehouse situated in nearby Meralgarh, but aborted it as they could not find enough explosives.