KOCHI: The NIA has taken over the investigation into the seizure of a large quantity of gelatin sticks and detonators from Tirurangadi in Kerala’s Malappuram district in February this year, officials said on Thursday.
Sources said the National Investigation Agency took over the case last month and recently approached the Parabanangadi First Class Judicial Magistrate Court seeking transfer of the case records to its own court in Kochi.
The case relates to the seizure of 89,600 pieces of gelatin hidden in 448 boxes, along with 10,500 non-electric tube detonators, from a truck loaded with onions at Shimad near Tirurangadi on February 7, 2026.
Based on a report, the police raided a brick manufacturing unit where a truck carrying onions was parked, and found people unloading explosives from it.
Officials at Tirurangadi police station said the case has been referred to the central agency.
“We have arrested six people in connection with the case. Although our investigation indicated that the explosives were meant for illegal quarries, the NIA decided to conduct a detailed investigation in view of the large quantity seized,” an officer told PTI.
Police said their investigations found that the explosives came from Bijapur, Karnataka state.
The case has been registered under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act.
The NIA is expected to interrogate the accused after shifting the special court in Kochi.
The sources added that a detailed investigation will also be conducted into the source and supply chain of the explosives.
A few days before the explosives were seized in Tirugandhi, more than 100 boxes of gelatin sticks and detonators were also seized from a truck carrying watermelons in Palakkad.
