Guwahati, April 12 (IANS) Three men have been arrested by police in Assam for allegedly possessing a kilogram of uranium.
A police spokesman said a kilogram of powdery substance had been seized from a youth in Assam's main city Guwahati Tuesday after a team of policemen posed as customers and struck a deal for buying the uranium from him for Rs.5 million.
The packet of powdery substance bore the printed inscription - 'Explosive number 2000/LG/27-D' and 'B/337 Enriched Uranium, Department of Atomic Energy, Directorate of Explosive and Research Centre, Northeast Region, Shillong'.
Two more youths were arrested later and the three were booked under the Explosives Act.
'We are not sure what the powdery substance is. We have sent the packet for forensic examination to ascertain if it is uranium or something else,' the spokesman said.
Experts, however, are sceptical about the seizure, saying it was impossible to get enriched uranium in the region.
Police officials are in touch with Department of Atomic Energy officials based in Shillong, the capital of the neighbouring state of Meghalaya.
The department has for several years been exploring uranium ore deposits at Domiasiat in Meghalaya, but has so far been unable to commercially exploit them because local tribal authorities are yet to clear mining operations.
The spokesman said: 'If the forensic results prove that the powdery substance is enriched uranium and stolen from the Department of Atomic Energy, then it is a very serious thing.'
Department of Atomic Energy officials in Shillong were not immediately available for comments.
Police had arrested two youths last year in Guwahati with a similar consignment with almost the same inscriptions like the seizure made Tuesday.
'The investigating officer dealing that case is now out of (Guwahati) and hence we are not in a position to tell the results of the forensic test,' the spokesman said.
According to surveys by the Department of Atomic Energy, there could be up to 10,000 tonnes of uranium ore at Domiasiat area - by far the largest and richest sandstone-type deposits available in India.
The ore is spread over a mountainous terrain in deposits varying from eight to 47 metres below the surface in and around Domiasiat, 135 km west of Shillong.
After initial operations, the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) was forced to wind up mining in the mid-1990s following stiff opposition from villagers and other pressure groups in Meghalaya who alleged radioactive emissions were posing serious health hazards.
Uranium is an important mineral ore for making nuclear weapons, with experts saying the untapped reserve at Domiasiat could be a potential resource for India's nuclear research programme.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/060412/43/63i3g.html
A police spokesman said a kilogram of powdery substance had been seized from a youth in Assam's main city Guwahati Tuesday after a team of policemen posed as customers and struck a deal for buying the uranium from him for Rs.5 million.
The packet of powdery substance bore the printed inscription - 'Explosive number 2000/LG/27-D' and 'B/337 Enriched Uranium, Department of Atomic Energy, Directorate of Explosive and Research Centre, Northeast Region, Shillong'.
Two more youths were arrested later and the three were booked under the Explosives Act.
'We are not sure what the powdery substance is. We have sent the packet for forensic examination to ascertain if it is uranium or something else,' the spokesman said.
Experts, however, are sceptical about the seizure, saying it was impossible to get enriched uranium in the region.
Police officials are in touch with Department of Atomic Energy officials based in Shillong, the capital of the neighbouring state of Meghalaya.
The department has for several years been exploring uranium ore deposits at Domiasiat in Meghalaya, but has so far been unable to commercially exploit them because local tribal authorities are yet to clear mining operations.
The spokesman said: 'If the forensic results prove that the powdery substance is enriched uranium and stolen from the Department of Atomic Energy, then it is a very serious thing.'
Department of Atomic Energy officials in Shillong were not immediately available for comments.
Police had arrested two youths last year in Guwahati with a similar consignment with almost the same inscriptions like the seizure made Tuesday.
'The investigating officer dealing that case is now out of (Guwahati) and hence we are not in a position to tell the results of the forensic test,' the spokesman said.
According to surveys by the Department of Atomic Energy, there could be up to 10,000 tonnes of uranium ore at Domiasiat area - by far the largest and richest sandstone-type deposits available in India.
The ore is spread over a mountainous terrain in deposits varying from eight to 47 metres below the surface in and around Domiasiat, 135 km west of Shillong.
After initial operations, the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) was forced to wind up mining in the mid-1990s following stiff opposition from villagers and other pressure groups in Meghalaya who alleged radioactive emissions were posing serious health hazards.
Uranium is an important mineral ore for making nuclear weapons, with experts saying the untapped reserve at Domiasiat could be a potential resource for India's nuclear research programme.
http://in.news.yahoo.com/060412/43/63i3g.html
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