Hyderabad: 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.
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.
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.
Advertisement
The chief minister had spent three days two weeks ago at Naravaripalle, his native village in Chittoor district and toured several surrounding areas.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
No Proposal On Import Restrictions On More Electronic Items: Top Official Smuggled Gold, Electronic Items Worth Rs 2.68 Crore Seized In Chennai Budget 2020: Government Raises Import Taxes In Move Set To Spook Some Foreign Firms Daughter, 26, Died Of Overwork At EY, No One Attended Funeral: Woman's Letter 9 Dead, 300 Injured As Walkie-Talkies Explode In Hezbollah Units In Lebanon Video Shows Explosion At Funeral Of Hezbollah Member Killed In Pager Blast Live Updates: Walkie-Talkie Explosions Kill 9, Injure Over 300 In Lebanon Pagers, Then Walkie Talkies: How Devices Were Weaponised Against Hezbollah Israel's Unit 8200 In Spotlight After Hezbollah Pager Attacks In Lebanon Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.