GUNTUR: Martur Police busted a major illegal explosives network on Saturday and seized over five tonnes of materials worth nearly Rs 20 lakh.
The raid, based on credible intelligence, was conducted near Nagarajupalli village in Martur Mandal, Bapatla district.
It was led by Martur Inspector M Seshagiri Rao and his team, who found explosives stored illegally in agricultural land belonging to Midala Naga Venugopal, a licensed explosives magazine holder whose permit expired in March 2025.
The primary accused, Dasam Hanumantharao (58), was caught at the site. He confessed to subleasing the magazine and running the operation for several years.
Hanumantharao sourced explosives from M/s Salvo Industries Pvt. Ltd. in Telangana, using licensed vehicles like an Ashok Leyland truck and a Bolero for transport.
HM orders probe into illegal sale of explosives
On April 18, he received 4,500 kg of Thunderbolt gelatin and 500 kg of Salvo Super E-90 without invoices. Another 750 kg was acquired with proper billing. These were loaded into a truck and transported without delivery to authorized users.
Instead, Hanumantharao, Venugopal, and Dasam Veeranjaneyulu conspired to sell the material at an inflated price to unauthorized buyers. Middlemen Buttula Sambasiva Rao and Pratap Reddy allegedly facilitated these off-the-books transactions.
Police suspect that past illegal sales were made to crusher unit owners in Vinukonda and Perecherla in Guntur district. Based on Hanumantharao’s confession and discrepancies in stock records, police arrested him on April 19. The seized explosives and vehicle were taken into custody.
A case has been registered against seven accused, including Salvo Industries and license-holder Venugopal. Charges have been filed under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, Section 9(B) of the Explosives Act, and Sections 318, 61(2), and 288 read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Further investigation is underway to trace other individuals involved and to assess the full extent of the illegal operations. Bapatla SP Tushar Dudi termed the incident a grave threat to public safety and warned of strict action against such violations. State Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha ordered a probe into the illegal transportation, instructing the DGP and SP to examine possible links with the 2023 Vinukonda blast and the Ballikurava election-time explosion.