NIA to probe 7-kg uranium seizure case in Mumbai

Four days after the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) arrested two people for allegedly possessing 7

Four days after the Maharashtra anti-terrorism squad (ATS) arrested two people for allegedly possessing 7.1kg of uranium worth ₹21.3 crore, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took over the probe into the case on Sunday.

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“In the presence of an order of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the agency has re-registered the case which was earlier registered by the ATS at the Kalachowki unit in Mumbai under section 24 (1) (a) of the Atomic Energy Act,” an NIA spokesperson said.

Thane resident Jigar Jayesh Pandya, 27, and Abu Tahir Afzal Hussain Choudhary, 31, a Mankhurd local, are in police custody till May 12 for the alleged possession of the highly radioactive substance.

An NIA team had visited the ATS office to verify the facts. “Now the documents related to the case will be handed over to them for further inquiry. As per the procedure, NIA will approach the court to take custody of both the accused as they are in ATS custody till 12 May,” said an ATS officer.

The incident came to light after police inspector Santosh Bhalekar of the Nagpada unit got information about a person planning to sell pieces of uranium illegally. Bhalekar and his team then laid a trap and nabbed Pandya. During interrogation, Pandya revealed that he had got the uranium from Choudhary. Bhalekar then arrested Choudhary on May 5 after questioning several scrap dealers in Mumbai.

In the meanwhile, ATS had sent the recovered substance to Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay, for chemical analysis. The BARC report confirmed that the seized substance was natural uranium and dangerous to human life. Based on the report, the ATS Kalachowki police station registered a first information report (FIR).

“We’ve been interrogating the accused to find out where they had procured the uranium from. It appears that there are many others involved in the case. The uranium is around ₹3 crore per kg in the market,” added the officer.