(UTV|COLOMBO) – Six people were arrested by the Ramanathapuram District Police after they were found smuggling 5,000 explosive materials similar to gelatine sticks to Sri Lanka, purportedly for blast fishing. Blast fishing is the practice of using explosives to kill a shoal of fish for easy collection, the Times of India reported.
Police sources said that a team descended on a hideout in Serankottai near Rameswaram based on specific inputs about suspicious operations.
Police, who suspected smuggling of drugs found that there were 50 boxes with 100 explosives in each of them. The explosives, which were small in size are termed as detonators in local parlance and used in the illegal blast fishing. Police then detained six people at the scene.
The six were identified as Mohammed, Pachamal, Subramanian, Mahanadhi, Ravi and Nambu Selvan of Rameswaram.
Interrogations with the accused led police to another person who supplied them with the detonators. Police said the explosives were sourced from Devanampattinam. Hunt is on for the person who supplied the group with explosives.
Police investigations revealed that one of the groups was contacted by a fisherman from Sri Lanka to arrange for the explosives after which they sourced the same.
“They were intending to smuggle the explosives by sea. In exchange, they were planning to receive gold or other valuable items instead of money,” a Police Official said.
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