3 tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate seized

PALAKKAD: The seizure of a Taurus lorry at the Gopalapuram checkpost with three tonnes of Ammonium Nitrate fertiliser has given rise to speculations regarding the ownership and possible misuse of the fertiliser. The fact that no one has turned up to claim the lorry which was seized on December 3 though both the lorry and the consignment are worth several lakhs of rupees, has turned the case even murkier.Police sources said they do not rule out the possibility of the fertiliser being used for terrorist activities though in all probability it was meant to be used in quarries.“Since ammonium nitrate is widely used in explosives, we have dispatched a fax to the office of the Deputy Controller of Explosives in Kochi to collect the samples and conduct the necessary tests. The officials are yet to arrive from Kochi. We have sent a reminder,” said the Sub- inspector of Kozhinjampara police station, Selvaraj.There were no claimants for the lorry or consignment for many days. But now a person has been calling from Salem, he added. The lorry with ammonium nitrate fertiliser was stopped at the Gopalapuram check post by the Commercial Tax and Excise authorities on the afternoon of December 3, but the driver ignored the officials and sped away. Subsequently, it was chased by Sales Tax officials and the preventive officer of the Excise check post on motorcycles. When the driver noticed that he was being followed, he abandoned the vehicle near the check post of the Motor Vehicles Department and escaped. The Taurus lorry had the number TN 28 Y 8199 on the front plates but it had no number plates in the rear. The lorry which was handed over to the Kozhinjampara police by the Commercial Tax authorities was produced before the First Class Magistrate, Chittur. The Kozhinjampara police said that a case has been registered under Section 102 of the CrPC. He said that there were 60 sacks of ammonium nitrate fertiliser, each weighing 50 kilograms. The police said that there were duplicate copies of the RC book and some telephone numbers inside the lorry with which they hoped to trace the ownership.  The Commercial Tax authorities at the Gopalapuram check post said that a notice has been slapped on the vehicle for a sum of Rs 43,632. A sum of Rs 14,544 was slapped as tax, another Rs 14,544 for not stopping the vehicle and another Rs 14,544 on the absconding driver.