12K gelatin sticks, 3K detonators seized from Bhiwandi, 1 arrested
THANE: In a major breakthrough, Thane crime branch’s unit-1 on Monday arrested a 53-year-old quarry contractor and seized 12,000 gelatin sticks and 3,008 electronic detonators from his office and storeroom at Bhiwandi.
The accused, Gurunath Kashinath Mhatre, had stocked the explosive materials without permission from collector or local authorities.
The police said Ananda Bhilare, a constable posted with unit 1, had received information about the explosives being stored at an office in Bhiwandi. Senior inspector Krishna Kokani then formed a team and raided Mhatre’s office Mittal Enterprise at Kharivali village.
The team found gelatin sticks and detonators in huge quantities, worth ₹2.02 lakh. They were stored in boxes containing the names of licenced firms.
“We found the explosives at his office and adjoining store room. He didn’t have any permission to store it. We are further investigating as to how he stored the explosives containing the name of the firms,” said Kokani.
A case had been registered against Mhatre at Bhoiwada police station in Bhiwandi under section 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance) of the Indian Penal Code and section 5 (punishment for making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances) of the Explosive Substance Act, 1908.
“Mhatre has been remanded in police custody till May 22,” said deputy commissioner of police from Thane crime branch Laxmikant Patil.