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Mortar shells found on rly tracks were sent from Kochi 3 yrs ago - The Times of India
KOCHI/CHANDIGARH: Nine mortar shells — each possessing a 45-metre kill radius — found abandoned beside railway tracks between Kurukshetra and Dola Majra in Haryana belong to a batch of ammunition that had mysteriously vanished after Kochi-based Naval Armament Depot (NAD) had despatched them to Itarsi ordnance factory in 2012.
This embarrassing fact came out following a probe into the incident launched by military intelligence, sources said.
The shells were despatched for proof testing to assess their efficacy. Though they were not delivered at the ordnance factory, the authorities concerned didn't even bother to investigate their disappearance for the past three years.
Other than writing a series of letters to the railways requesting them to trace the missing parcel'', the NAD or naval authorities did nothing to prevent the possibility of these shells landing in the hands of anti-national forces.
Not even a police complaint was registered about the missing parcel booked on the Ernakulam-Nizamuddin Mangala Lakshadweep Express on October 5, 2012, even after the issue was brought to the notice of authorities.
After military intelligence alerted NAD on Thursday, its officials were rushed to Kurukshetra "as they appear to be ours'', an official told TOI.
"The intelligence officers had sent us photographs of the recovered shells on Thursday. The seal seen on the bombs seems to be ours," he said.
The shocking incident came to light on Wednesday after a railway employee spotted these 51mm shells near the tracks. According to preliminary investigation, the mortar shells, very high grade explosives, were live and Army experts from Ambala Cantonment had taken them into their custody.
A case was registered on Wednesday by the railway police against unknown persons under the provisions of Explosives Substances Act.
Navy sources, meanwhile, ruled out the possibility of these shells going off during transit. They have four-fuse mechanism to prevent any such eventuality,'' an officer said.
Railway police officials at Ambala said they have formed a team, headed by a DSP-level officer, to probe the case and they would visit the naval base to collect details.
KOCHI/CHANDIGARH: Nine mortar shells — each possessing a 45-metre kill radius — found abandoned beside railway tracks between Kurukshetra and Dola Majra in Haryana belong to a batch of ammunition that had mysteriously vanished after Kochi-based Naval Armament Depot (NAD) had despatched them to Itarsi ordnance factory in 2012.
This embarrassing fact came out following a probe into the incident launched by military intelligence, sources said.
The shells were despatched for proof testing to assess their efficacy. Though they were not delivered at the ordnance factory, the authorities concerned didn't even bother to investigate their disappearance for the past three years.
Other than writing a series of letters to the railways requesting them to trace the missing parcel'', the NAD or naval authorities did nothing to prevent the possibility of these shells landing in the hands of anti-national forces.
Not even a police complaint was registered about the missing parcel booked on the Ernakulam-Nizamuddin Mangala Lakshadweep Express on October 5, 2012, even after the issue was brought to the notice of authorities.
After military intelligence alerted NAD on Thursday, its officials were rushed to Kurukshetra "as they appear to be ours'', an official told TOI.
"The intelligence officers had sent us photographs of the recovered shells on Thursday. The seal seen on the bombs seems to be ours," he said.
The shocking incident came to light on Wednesday after a railway employee spotted these 51mm shells near the tracks. According to preliminary investigation, the mortar shells, very high grade explosives, were live and Army experts from Ambala Cantonment had taken them into their custody.
A case was registered on Wednesday by the railway police against unknown persons under the provisions of Explosives Substances Act.
Navy sources, meanwhile, ruled out the possibility of these shells going off during transit. They have four-fuse mechanism to prevent any such eventuality,'' an officer said.
Railway police officials at Ambala said they have formed a team, headed by a DSP-level officer, to probe the case and they would visit the naval base to collect details.
