Mumbai: The Thane Police Crime Branch has seized a further 8.15 grams of depleted uranium from the two accused who were arrested for alleged possession of over eight kilograms of the substance last month.
The two accused, identified as Safiullah Khan and Kishore Prajapati, were arrested in December after they were found trying to sell 8.861 kilograms of the substance in Thane.
“Based on the results of the interrogation, we recovered two pieces of depleted uranium, weighing 72 grams and 16.15 grams, from two of their friends. The accused had given the pieces to them and told them to see if they could find any buyers,” said senior police inspector Ravindra Doiphode, Thane Crime Branch.
Mr. Doiphode said investigations were under way to find out where they procured the uranium from.
“The accused are not being cooperative, and keep making vague claims of having found the uranium in some flight that they had taken recently. As the substance is used for a variety of purposes — from making the lead in bullets to making nuclear bombs — there is a blanket ban on its sale in the open market,” he said.
Meanwhile, the two accused, who have been remanded in judicial custody, had applied for bail on January 6. Their bail application was on Monday rejected by the Thane Sessions Court.
