A country bomb along with explosive substances and a sickle were seized from a lorry stationed at a Tasmac godown at Vilamal in Tiruvarur district on Monday.
The lorry, transporting liquor bottles from a private factory in Coimbatore district, left on the night of April 26 and reached the Tasmac godown at Vilamal the next morning.
The vehicle had been stationed at the godown since then to unload the consignment. The presence of explosives inside the vehicle came to light when a police team from Ennore landed at Tiruvarur on Monday morning.
The team reportedly brought with them Ramesh — an anti-social element against whom several cases had been booked — to pick up one of his alleged associates.
The lorry had two drivers – Mohan and Raj – besides a cleaner. Mohan was said to be an associate of Ramesh, who was picked up by the Ennore police earlier as a preventive measure.
The Ennore police team came in a private car to Tiruvarur, in search of Mohan, who had by then absconded along with Raj. While conducting checks inside the lorry, they found half a kilogram of explosive substances inside a tiffin box, a country bomb and a sickle.
The team immediately left for Chennai, taking with them Ramesh and the seized consignment in their vehicle.
As news spread regarding the seizure, the Tiruvarur police intercepted the car near Kodavasal in Tiruvarur district.
However, the Tiruvarur police allowed their Chennai counterparts to proceed after ascertaining that they had come to seize the explosive substances.
