In a daring nighttime operation, Palakkad South Police in Kerala uncovered a massive haul of explosives hidden beneath a load of watermelons in a mini lorry. The dramatic chase and seizure took place near the Palakkad Government Medical College on Yakkara Service Road around 9 PM on Wednesday.
Acting on a tip-off from South Inspector Vipin Kumar, officers ramped up surveillance in the area and began checking suspicious vehicles. When they signaled a mini lorry to stop, the driver sped away, prompting a high-speed pursuit that ended with police cornering the vehicle.
A thorough search revealed over 100 boxes stashed under the watermelons, containing approximately 18,000 gelatin sticks and 4,800 detonators. These highly dangerous and costly explosives are typically used in mining and stone quarrying operations. A bomb squad was immediately called to the scene to handle the volatile cargo safely.
The driver, Senthil Kumar from Tamil Nadu, was arrested on the spot. During initial interrogation, he confessed that the consignment originated from Thuppur in Dharapuram, Tamil Nadu, and was destined for Thrissur district in Kerala. However, investigators suspect a larger smuggling syndicate is at play and are conducting intensive questioning to uncover the end users and motives.
This isn’t the first such incident in the region. Last year, Palakkad and Coimbatore police jointly seized over 40,000 gelatin sticks and 5,000 detonators being smuggled from Tamil Nadu to Kerala. Authorities are now probing every angle of this case, heightening concerns over illegal explosives trafficking across state borders.