DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 29 (MExN): A sizable consignment of explosive gelatine, alongwith detonators and fuse wire, weighing around 115 kilograms was caught at the Dimapur railway station on Thursday, September 29. One person indentified as Alex Hmar (20 years) was arrested while a second, indentified as Rick Hmar managed to escape. The catch was the result of a combined effort of GRPS and RPF personnel stationed at the railway platform.
[caption id="attachment_4778" align="aligncenter" width="400" caption="Alex Hmar alongwith the cache of explosives under the custody of GRPS, Dimapur on September 29. (Morung Photo)"][/caption]
The seized explosives included 920 gelatine sticks (weighing 125 grams each), 500 detonators and a roll of fuse wire measuring around 300 feet. The outer covering of the gelatine sticks bore the name of the manufacturing unit – one ‘Amin Explosives Pvt Ltd based in Yenvera, Nagpur.
According to Government Railway Police Station, Dimapur, the explosives were being shipped from Haflong in Assam to be disposed off in Dimapur to some unknown buyers here. The preliminary interrogation of the detained person revealed that he was hired by the absconding Rick Hmar for a sum of Rs. 4000 to assist the latter in transporting the explosives till the railway’s vehicle parking lot in Dimapur.
They had boarded a passenger train (BG Express) at Lumding earlier in the morning and were dressed in Indian Army combat fatigues. The train reached Dimapur at around 9:00 am. The explosives were contained in six bags concealed beneath garments. Sometime in November last year, 700 sticks of gelatine were caught from one person at the platform, who had alighted from the same passenger train.
GRPS said that when the duo was asked to disclose what was carried in their luggage, they told that they were carrying CSD items. However, they failed to produce any supporting documents or ID cards. Meanwhile, absconder Rick allowed Alex to do the talking and dashed towards the footbridge in the northern side of the platform making good his escape.
GRPS personnel also brought up the matter of criminal elements taking undue advantage of military fatigues. Military personnel usually take offence when railway police personnel ask them that they allow their luggage to undergo normal security check, just like other civilian passengers. This rather antagonistic attitude of the military personnel discourages railway police from frisking them; on the other hand it encourages criminals to take undue advantage, GRPS said.
~The Morung Express