Balasore: A pickup van carrying a large quantity of explosives was seized after the vehicle met with a road accident in Soro area of Odisha’s Balasore district.
The incident reportedly took place late on Friday near Alipur Chhak on National Highway No. 16 under the jurisdiction of Soro police station in the district.
The vehicle was proceeding to Balasore from Cuttack when it reportedly hit a stationary truck. The front portion of the van was damaged in the mishap.
Soon after the mishap, locals rushed to the spot to assist in rescue efforts and in the process, they found that the van was loaded with explosive materials. They immediately informed the Highway police, who in turn informed the Soro police.
The driver of the van reportedly fled the scene following the accident. The police later seized the vehicle and took it to the Soro police station. Efforts are on to trace the driver and identify the owner of the vehicle
Preliminary investigation indicates that the vehicle registration number is of Balasore. Police have launched an investigation to ascertain where the explosives were being transported to and with what intent.