A 37 year-old man was arrested and 10 kg of ammonium nitrate, used for manufacturing explosives, seized, in Chinnakoundanpuram village near here on Saturday night.
On a tip-off by the Kerala Police that explosive materials from a village in Salem district were being smuggled and sold to clandestine buyers in Kerala, a team led by Vazhapadi Inspector K. Muralidharan carried out surprise checks in the villages abetting the Salem-Attur National Highway.
It spotted Mahendran (37) of Odakkalpatti village carrying a gunny bag.
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On interrogation it was revealed that he was attempting to smuggle the explosive materials to Kerala on foot to evade police attention.
He told the interrogators that he had procured the chemical from a trader at Sevvapet in Salem.
It was used mainly in quarries in Kerala.
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He has been arrested under Section 5 of the Explosives Substances Act and lodged in Salem Central Prison.