4 detained for carrying combustible material

Tirupati: Four passengers bound for New Delhi were detained at Tirupati Airport on Wednesday, after the security check indicated that they were possessing ‘explosive tendency’ material.The security staff was alerted to ‘explosive tendency’ material (five 30 ml bottles of pain killer), while checking the hand luggage of the passengers.

After a formal complaint from the CISF, the four passengers, who are to fly to New Delhi by Air India flight, were detained by the police at the airport for questioning.

With the initial reports indicating that the seized materials were `liquid RDX’, high drama ensued at the airport, which was virtually sealed off by the police and airport security, while senior officials including Tirupati Urban SP R Jayalakashmi rushed to the spot.

SP R Jayalakshmi told mediapersons that four persons were taken into custody for investigation following the complaint from CISF. She said that the four revealed that they were doing fruit business and are based at Railway Kodur.

They said that the liquid they were carrying was pain killer, which was purchased in a shop in Railway Kodur,” she added
The seized liquid was sent to Central Forensic Laboratory (CFL) to ascertain the exact nature of the material, she said and added that only after the CFL report they would be in a position to declare the liquid whether it is an explosive substance.

Jayalakshmi said that the four were in police custody as investigation is on to verify the facts of the information they disclosed and also to find out their antecedents.

Meanwhile, sources said that the shop keeper, who sold the liquid, was brought to the airport by Kodur police, who admitted that he sold the pain killer. The four were identified as Riaz Ahamad, Azeez Sartaz of Ghaziabad, Kurshid Ahamad of Bulandshehar and Anwar Ahamad of New Delhi.