KOCHI: After failing to secure the Army’s cooperation in the probe into the recovery of explosives from Bharathapuzha riverbed at Kuttippuram in January, the Kerala Police have decided to hand over the probe to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).Thrissur Range Inspector General M R Ajith Kumar told Express the probe team was facing lack of cooperation from the Army.
“We could have made some progress in the probe had the Army provided us with certain details,” Ajith Kumar said, adding they had submitted a report to state police headquarters requesting to hand over the probe to the NIA.“We have limitations in widening the scope of the probe. A Central agency will be able to access details more easily. So, we have requested for an NIA investigation into the incident,” he said. Five claymore mines and a large cache of bullets used in self-loading rifles were recovered from the riverbed near the Kuttippuram bridge during the first and second weeks of January.Preliminary probe revealed the ammunition belonged to the Army.
There have been a lot of speculations in connection with the recovery of arms and ammunition from the riverbed as the police initially suspected the role of Maoists in it.The ammunition was recovered at a time when the entire Malappuram district was under strict surveillance by the police following frequent activities of CPI (Maoists) and an alleged encounter at Nilambur in which two Maoist leaders were killed.
Apart from the five mines, over 500 cartridges, 45 blank rounds and six pulse generators were recovered from the river bed.