THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Panic struck the public of Vamanapuram after they recovered huge cache of expansive mortar which they suspected as explosives, from a white Maruti Omni car.
The incident occurred near Vamanapuram PHC late evening. According to Venjaramoodu police, the car with Kottayam registration was parked on the side of the MC road. When some locals inquired why the vehicle was being parked there, two people in the car said there was a leakage in the LPG Kit. When some of them went close to the vehicle to examine it, the passengers picked a couple of boxes, which bore the label ‘non-explosive’, from the car and placed it on the road.
The public seeing the boxes got suspicious and informed the police. By the time the police arrived, the culprits had fled. The police officers who arrived at the spot confirmed that the material was non explosive in nature. Venjaramoodu CI K R Biju said that the material is used as a substitute for conventional explosives in quarries.
“All I can say is that they are non explosive in nature and are used for splitting rocks and concretes. But it is to be investigated where the stuff was being taken to,” he said.
Meanwhile the public said that the police failed to turn up even two hours after being informed. DGP Jacob Punnoose when contacted over phone felt that ‘public usually make a lot of fuss about the delay’.