- 161 gelatin sticks were found near a school in Uttarakhand's Almora district
- The explosives were found in bushes and first spotted by the principal
- Bomb disposal and dog squads conducted thorough searches
A large quantity of highly explosive gelatin sticks has been found near a school in a village in Uttarakhand, putting the police on alert in the Almora district. The police said that they found 161 gelatin sticks, weighing over 20 kg, in a bush in the Sult area and conducted a search in the nearby areas.
The recovery occurred near the Government High Secondary School in Dabara village, days after nearly 3,000 kg explosives were found in Haryana linked to the Delhi blast.
Principal Subhash Singh first noticed the suspicious packets in the bushes and informed the police. Two police teams reached the school immediately and cordoned off the area. The bomb disposal squad and dog squads were also brought in from the Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts.
A thorough search was carried out by the canine unit, during which a few packets of gelatin sticks were spotted in the bushes. Some more packets were found about 20 feet away.
The bomb disposal squad collected the packets, sealed them, and placed them in a safe place.
"161 gelatin sticks were recovered from the bushes near a school in Dabra village. The police reached the spot. The bomb disposal squad also conducted an inquiry. The nearby areas were also searched," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Devendra Pincha said.
Gelatin sticks are explosive materials commonly used for blasting rocks for construction and mining purposes. The reason behind the explosives being brought to the village is being probed, the officer said.
The police have filed a case against unknown people under Section 4(a) of the Explosive Substances Act 1908 and Section 288 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
Four teams have been formed for further investigation, SSP Pincha added.
The security infrastructure across the country had been on alert after the recent blast in Delhi and the massive seizure of explosive materials. Sources suggest that some terror modules had been planning serial blasts across major cities. Searches are also being held in different parts of the country.
