One held for illegal possession of explosives and detonators

The city police arrested one person for illegal possession of explosive material and seized as many as 1,500 gelatin sticks and 675 electric detonators from his possesion.

Acting on a tip-off, sleuths of Commissioner's Task Force (West Zone Team) apprehended one Malleypaka Bhasker, a supervisor, who was in illegal possession of explosive material without any valid licence, the police said here today. The accused is a supervisor working for a blasting contractor called Venkanna, who had been bringing gelatin sticks and detonators to a site here for blasting huge rocks, the police said.

The site contractor and masons avoided procedures of obtaining license or permission and encouraged illegal sale of blasting material in order to avoid paying the required government fee, the police said. Further investigations were on.