Almora News: A serious security alert has been sounded in Uttarakhand after 160 sticks of gelatin were found near a government school in Almora’s Salt region, just days after the jaw-dropping recovery of 3000kg of explosives in Faridabad. Both discoveries create suspicion, further raising the question of coincidence or of wider activity of illegal explosives movements.
What did they find in Almora?
The situation unfolded after the principal of the government school saw suspicious packets in the bushes and contacted officials. When police teams arrived, they located 160 gelatin sticks spread over two plots of land approximately 20 feet apart.
Bomb disposal teams and a team of police service dogs were summoned from Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital. Officials stated the gelatin sticks were the consistency found in explosives used in quarries or as construction materials, but the location near a school raises significant concerns.
Police registered a case under the Explosive Substances Act 1908, and samples were sent for forensic examination. To the best of their knowledge, the first observation suggests “that’s what it seems” construction material, but also not to think of any angle.
Raise the alarm, the Faridabad connection
Almora News: Just days prior, Faridabad police disrupted a significant terror-linked module, recovering almost 3000 kg of explosives, timers, heavy metal shrapnel, and all associated materials. The sheer size of that operation has put agencies around the country on extra alert.
This has, of course, prompted speculation:
- Were the Almora gelatin sticks set aside by someone who feared detection based on the Faridabad bust?
- Are both cases part of a sequential supply chain?
- Or is Almora simply a case of illegal construction material disposal?
Security experts have indicated that the location of the discovery near a school, mixed instead of a construction site, is indeed unusual and may warrant further investigation.
What are Police and Experts Reporting?
Senior officials, including Almora SSP Devendra Pincha, have asked for calm but confirmed that a multi-layered investigation is ongoing. Teams are examining:
- Transport routes for explosives in the area
- If any construction work has been undertaken nearby
- If any local contractors had reported any stocks missing
- If any cross-border or interstate movement is found
- If there is a connection to the Faridabad seizure
Experts caution that gelatin sticks are fairly standard in legitimate blasting work; however, illegal storage and transport would raise red flags, particularly given the current security situation.
