13 kg gunpowder, 2900 detonators seized from house near Assam-Mizoram border

Silchar: Over 13 kg of gunpowder and 2900 detonators have been recovered from Assam’s Cachar district near the state’s border with Mizoram, police said on Monday.

Police said that the explosives were buried underground inside a house near the Assam-Mizoram border. “Based on specific information, we launched an operation in that area and recovered the explosives. However, the owner of the house managed to escape,” police said.

Investigations revealed that the house, located in Bhaga area under Dholai police station in Cachar, is owned by Salim Uddin Choudhary, a local businessman.

Manoj Baruah, Dholai police station chief, said that they are investigating the matter further. “We are trying to find if these explosives were transported from outside Assam,” he said.

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Police have registered a suo moto case against Choudhary under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and his family members are being questioned as a part of the probe.

In the past, police have seized large amounts of drugs from the Bhaga area of Cachar and most of the consignments came from neighbouring, Mizoram.

Choudhary’s family members, denying any motive, said that they use these explosives for fishing and such ordnance are available in most households in the area.

It is yet to be explained, however, why Choudhary has not made himself available to the police to aid the investigation.