The electronic items were found in a white bag in a forest near Lord Balaji temple
A huge quantity of electronic items that the police say could have been used to trigger a blast has been recovered in the Seshachalam forest area near the famous hill shrine of Lord Balaji in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh.
State inspector general of police heading a special task force, Mr Kanta Rao, went to the location where the items were found inside a white bag, to examine the material and make an assessment. The bag was found during a routine check.
"It is clear all this could be used to trigger explosions on a large scale. Who was to use it, were they smugglers linked to the red sanders mafia, were they terrorists who wanted to target some VIP or some other anti-social elements trying to trigger communal trouble is not yet clear,'' Mr Rao said.
Among the electronic items were integrated circuits, mother boards, transmitters, resistors, walkie-talkie sets and cell phones. They were found in a bag abandoned on the path leading to Srivari Padalu, a religious and tourist spot on the Seven Hills, where there are foot imprints that the devout believe belong to Lord Balaji.
The area is also notorious for red sanders smuggling. Often, huge tracts of forests are cleared by the mafia that brings in labourers to cut the precious wood and transport it out for international trading.
Not far away from here is Alipiri, where a Maoist attack happened on Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu Naidu on October 2, 2003. Mr Naidu had luckily survived the attempt.
The chief minister had spent three days two weeks ago at Naravaripalle, his native village in Chittoor district and toured several surrounding areas.