4 men held with electronic detonators near Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: Four people were arrested on Wednesday morning for allegedly carrying electronic detonators with no valid documents in their possession near here, police said.

A team of Coimbatore Rural Police was carrying out vehicle checks in Karamadai, around 35 kilometres from here, at 5 am when it noticed the four men on two motorcycles discussing something in a suspicious manner and called them for questioning.

The police team spotted the detonators kept illegally in their possession in the vehicles.

Preliminary inquiry revealed that two persons from Coimbatore purchased the detonators from Salem and regularly sold it to the other two men, natives of Kerala, at higher rates, police further said.

Police seized the detonators and two motorcycles while a thorough inquiry was underway to gather details about the motive behind purchasing such explosives.

Meanwhile, a 36-year-old man was arrested near Coonoor in the hill district of Nilgiris for possessing country-made bombs reportedly to hunt wild boars.

Based on information about illegal possession of country-made bombs, police rushed to Prakashpuram and arrested Kannan, who had 10 such bombs in his possession, police said.

A probe revealed that the man was a member of a gang which is involved in using such bombs in Aruvangadu area for hunting, and five bisons had recently died following explosions near the animal's habitat, they said.