A large quantity of explosives was recovered on Thursday from a vehicle in the capital city where security has been tightened ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on November 29.
Three cartons containing gelatin sticks, detonators and cordex wire hidden inside gunny bags were recovered during routine checking of vehicles on the Gauahati-Shillong Road in Dispur police station area here in the early hours today, City Senior Superintendent of Police A P Tiwari said.
The vehicle was coming from Meghalaya and its driver and only passenger have been detained for interrogation, Tiwari said.
The explosives, included 1800 packets of detonators, 30 packets of gelatin sticks and 12 packets of cordex wire rolls, Dispur police station officer Incharge said.
The driver of the vehicle told police that he was handed over the 3 cartons at Aizawl to be delivered at the ticket counter of a taxi stand in the Christian Basti area of Guwahati, police said.
The detained passenger claimed before reporters that he was not connected with the explosives as he had only boarded the share taxi as a passenger after buying a ticket to come to his home town.
He also said that two other passengers travelling with him from Aizawl had got off at Silchar in Barak Valley of south Assam before the vehicle travelled onward through Meghalaya to reach Guwahati in the Brahmaputra Valley.
All the 21 police stations in the city have been put on high-alert while all the private and public transport vehicles are being checked. Vigil has been mounted on all surface and river routes to and from the city. Police have mounted surveillance in all construction sites at important locations in the city suspecting that the ULFA (I) might engage some vulnerable construction workers to trigger blast on its behalf.
With inputs from PTI
