Explosives Dumped Near School: Uttarakhand Police Seize 20 Kg Gelatin Cache In Almora

A fresh explosive scare hit Uttarakhand's Almora district after a huge cache of gelatin sticks was found outside a government school.The stash, weighing above 20 kg, was found stuffed inside polythene

bags in bushes in the Sult area. It was first spotted by Subhash Singh, the principal of the Government High Secondary School in Dabara village. Singh immediately alerted the authorities.Officers said that there were about 161 explosive-grade gelatin sticks - typically used in construction and mining - with the seizure being made just days after nearly 3,000 kg of explosive material was recovered in Haryana in the probe linked to the Delhi blast. The recovery prompted an immediate security response and an extensive sweep of the village.

Two police teams rushed to the site, cordoned off the area and called in bomb disposal experts and dog squads from Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital. The canine unit led the officers to multiple packets scattered in the bushes, with some lying another 20 feet away. The bomb squad then secured, sealed and shifted the material to a safe location.Confirming the seizure, Senior Superintendent of Police Devendra Pincha said, "161 gelatin sticks were recovered from the bushes near a school in Dabra village. The police reached the spot. The bomb disposal squad also conducted an inquiry. The nearby areas were also searched."He added that a probe was underway as to why the explosives were brought into the village.A case has been registered against unknown persons under Section 4(a) of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, and Section 288 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.