Explosives haul in Bihar

In the biggest ever seizure of explosives in Bihar, Patna police seized 4.9 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and other bomb-making materials —enough to blow up bridges and multi-storeyed buildings — from two Maoist safehouses in a village near Gaya.

Unconfirmed reports said Subodh Kumar, the kingpin of the gun racket that supplies weapons to Maoists in Bihar and Jharkhand, was also arrested.

In an early-morning raid in a densely populated locality in Mainpur village, 120 km south of Patna, on Thursday, the police recovered 110 bags of ammonium nitrate, two mobile phone-sized batteries, a can of bomb-making chemicals and a huge quantity of Maoist literature, Gaya Superintendent of Police S.M. Khopade said.

The material was primed and ready for immediate use.

The Maoists were planning to use it during the five-phase Jharkhand elections beginning November 25, , the police said.