Daijiworld Media Network - Chikkamagaluru (SP)

Chikkamagaluru, Mar 27: The police who were flabbergasted at the recovery of huge stock of explosives from the terrace of a house in Kalasa town in the district on Tuesday March 26, have arrested the house owner. He is being subjected to interrogation.

The arrested person is a well-known businessman in the area. He has been carrying on trade in betel nut, coffee, and black pepper here since the last two decades.

On the basis of reliable information, local police personnel raided the spot and took into possession gallatin sticks, detonators, and fuses. The recording of the CCTVs fitted in the house were also collected. District superintendent of police (SP), Harish Pandey, visited the spot and collected information.

The people of Kalasa are overtaken by apprehension at this recovery, as in the past, naxals were active in the area. Other than naxal activities in some adjacent villages, the town has not witnessed any communal frictions. The people therefore have urged the police to investigate the matter from all angles and nail the guilty.

The SP said that the explosives like 14 gallatin sticks, fuses and 40 detonators found are usually used for stone quarry operations. He said that the businessmen in whose residence these items were found is a popular figure in the area and the department is looking from the angle of storage of these items for revenge or other disruptive activities.

MLA and BJP state general secretary, C T Ravi, expressed worry at the recovery of explosives at a time when communalist and terrorist activities are increasing in Malnad and coastal areas of the state. He said the police have recovered explosives from the house of Aziz and his brother Afsa Ali, a mechanic. He expressed grave concerns at the recovery made during the election time. He asked the state government to stop using communal forces for vote bank politics and hold impartial investigation.