NIA starts probe into loot of huge quantity of explosives by Maoists in Odisha's Sundargarh

Bhubaneswar/Rourkela, May 29 (PTI) A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday started an investigation into the loot of huge quantity of explosives by Maoists in Odisha's Sundargarh district, an officer said.

Senior NIA officers including a DIG, SP and Additional SP visited Rourkela. The NIA has started an investigation into the loot of around 200 packets of gelatin being transported to a stone quarry at Banko in Sundergarh district on Tuesday by Maoists.

"The Odisha police is providing all required assistance to the NIA for undertaking the probe into the loot of explosives," DIG, Western Range, Brijesh Rai told reporters at Rourkela.

He said the police have registered a case in this regard based on the statement of the driver of the truck which was transporting the explosive materials.

The loot took place in the area in close vicinity of Saranda forests in adjacent West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, considered the hotbed of Maoists. The armed miscreants reportedly threatened the driver at gunpoint and asked him to drive into a nearby forest, where a group of Maoists looted approximately four tonne of explosives.

Though the truck carrying the material was recovered during a search operation on Wednesday, there was no trace of the explosives, an officer said. The truck driver said the Hindi-speaking Maoists spared him after he pleaded for mercy.

Police sources said that there were indications of involvement of Jharkhand-based Maoists in the explosive loot incident.

The DIG said the Maoists might have entered Sundergarh from neighbouring Jharkhand. The place of loot was in close proximity to West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand.

Rai said as per the direction of DGP Y B Khurania, who visited the spot on Wednesday, the police have launched a search operation. On Wednesday, DGP Khurania along with IGP (Operation) Deepak Kumar, DIG (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai and Sundargarh SP Pratyush Diwakar held a series of closed-door meetings and reviewed the situation.

Meanwhile, the Odisha police along with security personnel of Jharkhand and CRPF have intensified operations in the Odisha-Jharkhand border area. PTI COR AAM AAM RG