Ahead of Republic Day, police seize 9,550 kg ammonium nitrate in Rajasthan’s Nagaur, man held

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Ahead of Republic Day, police in Rajasthan's Nagaur district seized a huge cache of explosives from a farm and arrested a man in connection with the recovery, officials said on Sunday.

Acting on a tip-off, the police conducted a raid late Saturday night in Harsaur village, where 9,550 kg of ammonium nitrate packed in 187 sacks was recovered from a field, Nagaur Superintendent of Police Mridul Kachhawa said.

Ammonium nitrate has previously been linked to major blast cases, including an explosion near Delhi's Red Fort in November 2025, officials noted.

Suleman Khan, a resident of Harsaur village, was arrested at the spot. He has three previous criminal cases registered against him, the SP said.

Besides ammonium nitrate, police also seized a large quantity of explosive accessories, including nine cartons of detonators, 12 cartons and 15 bundles of blue fuse wire, and 12 cartons and five bundles of red fuse wire, officials said.

Preliminary interrogation has revealed that the accused was allegedly supplying explosives to people involved in legal and illegal mining activities, Kachhawa said, adding that a case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Explosives Act.

The SP further mentioned that Central agencies have been notified about the seizure and are expected to question Suleman as part of a wider probe.