2 held in Kovai for buying explosives via e-com site

COIMBATORE: The Coimbatore city police arrested a youth and secured one for possessing explosive chemicals bought from e-commerce site.

National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths, who were on their toes to crack down the network of terror suspects in Coimbatore car blast incident picked up one Senthil Kumar (35) from Village Nagar in Kurumbapalayam for purchasing explosive substances.

The purchase came to light when 100 grams of potassium nitrate and 100 grams of sulphur were ordered from his mobile on Flipkart. An inquiry with him at the NIA office in PRS Grounds revealed that Senthil Kumar was into selling fruits in a pushcart along the roadside in the Peelamedu area.

He claimed that it was his employee Mariappan (26), who ordered something from his mobile phone and he was not aware of it. Then, the NIA sleuths took G Mariappan from Gandhi Nagar in Thoothukudi district for an inquiry.

Police said Mariappan had a criminal past and was facing four attempts to murder cases and was imprisoned for ganja peddling. In his confession, Mariappan said that he bought the explosive substance and left for his hometown in June this year to make bombs with an intention to execute a revenge killing.

However, he couldn’t execute his plan and left for Chennai to work in a lorry service firm in Koyambedu. Again, he returned to Coimbatore to work in a fruit shop of another person. The NIA sleuths handed over the duo to Saravanampatti police, who then arrested Mariappan, while an inquiry was on with another person.

Mariappan said that he bought the explosive substance in June this year to make bombs