2 Indians held for ‘illegally possessing’ highly radioactive substance, police say
Indian police seized over seven kilograms of natural uranium and arrested two men in the Maharashtra state for “illegally possessing” the highly radioactive substance.
The confiscated material is worth Indian Rupees 21.30 crores (around $2.9 million) and an investigation into the case is underway.
“We had received information that one person identified as Jigar Pandya was going to illegally sell pieces of Uranium substance,” after which the police took action, the Maharashtra police said.
The police said a huge quantity of substance was recovered when those involved in illegal possession of radioactive substance were apprehended.
The case was registered after Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai confirmed the seized material is highly radioactive. “A report was received that the substance is natural uranium. It’s highly radioactive and dangerous to human life,” the police said.
It is the second time in India that such a highly radioactive substance has been seized by police in recent years.
Uranium is used in several areas, including nuclear explosives and medical techniques.