Jaipur: Nagaur police on Saturday arrested four more suspects in connection with the January 24 seizure of nearly 10,000 kg of ammonium nitrate and other explosive materials in the district.Nagaur SP Mridul Kachhawa said police arrested Suleman Khan (58) on Jan 24 and recovered a large quantity of ammonium nitrate along with detonators, fuse wires and other explosive components.
Kachhawa said a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted to probe the case, following which four more suspects — Bharat Kumar, Banshi Lal, Dev Raj and Mahendra Pal Singh — were arrested.He said the accused allegedly admitted that they sourced explosive material from large licensed outlets, known as magazines, and supplied it to smaller, unregulated units. The material was commonly diverted for illegal mining activities, officials said. Sources said the accused moved the ammonium nitrate and other components, such as wires, in large quantities across different locations.Police said preliminary investigations revealed that Khan, who has several cases of illegal explosives filed against him, was in the past involved in numerous cases of illegal mining.A senior official said the SIT is trying to identify those who supplied illegal explosives to the accused and others who may have purchased the material from him.“The suspect stored nearly 10,000 kg of ammonium nitrate at his hideout, which suggests he may have procured it to meet a large order,” the official said, adding that the SIT is also carrying out searches in other districts.Central agencies, including the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB), also reached the district and questioned the suspect.
