CHIKKABALLAPUR: The six people who died in the blast early on Tuesday morning at Hirenagaveli village on the outskirts of Chikkaballapur reportedly threw the illegally stored gelatin sticks into a campfire instead of water, triggering the massive explosion.
Before handing over the probe to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Chikkaballapur police on Wednesday conducted inquiries and interrogated quarry owners and also the driver of the van who survived. Sources told TNIE that a Tamil Nadu-based man had supplied the gelatin sticks to Brahma Vahini Quarry in November.
The quarry was not functioning for the last few days fearing police raids and other issues. On Monday night too, the quarry owners got a tipoff that there would be a police raid, and they tried to dispose of the gelatin sticks that were stored about a kilometre away from the quarry site when the explosion occurred, they added.
It is said that the Tamil Nadu supplier had told the quarry owners to dispose of the gelatin sticks by throwing them into water. The six workers then hired a mini-van, loaded 12-15 kg of gelatin sticks and had proceeded to throw them into water. But on the way, they changed their plans, put up a campfire and threw the sticks into it, which led to the massive explosion ripping apart their bodies. It is also said that some of them had consumed alcohol before the incident.
Chikkaballapur district in-charge and Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar too confirmed the incident at a press conference, saying that the the deceased had partied, put up a campfire and thrown gelatin sticks into it, leading to the tragic incident.
CID to take up investigation
CID sleuths took over the investigation into the incident on Wednesday evening, sources said. CID Superintendent of Police, Deputy Superintendent of Police and a team of police officers arrived in Chikkballapur for an on-the-spot investigation.