Jeypore: Jeypore town police Monday arrested two Hyderabad based explosive traders in connection with police recovering five tons of explosives from a truck March 2, taking the total number of arrests to five.
The arrested dealers have been identified as Raji Reddy and Maheswar Reddy. They were produced in a local court the same day.
Police said it was not the first time that the duo was involved in explosive smuggling. They had supplied explosives in a similar fashion to 11 crushers in Malkangiri district for as many as 70 times in past months.
A specially formed police team is investigating the case, a source in the police said.
Earlier the police had arrested a truck driver, helper and a crusher owner from Motu area in Malkangiri district in this connection.
Notably, Jeypore town police were carrying out regular checking March 2 when a truck moved past the check post at speed. The cops chased and intercepted the vehicle. Upon opening the container, they found 200 packets of explosives inside it. Following the discovery, they seized the explosives and the vehicle.
Since Malkangiri district is a Maoist-infested district, and the possibility of Maoists using these illegally procured explosives cannot be ruled out, the police are taking the case seriously, it was learnt.
PNN