89,600 Gelatin Sticks Seized in Kerala; NIA Launches Comprehensive Probe

The National Investigation Agency has taken over the investigation into the seizure of a huge cache of explosives from Kerala’s Malappuram district earlier this year, officials said on Thursday.

The case pertains to the recovery of 89,600 gelatin sticks and 10,500 non-electric shock tube detonators concealed inside an onion-laden lorry at Chemmad near Tirurangadi on February 7, 2026. The explosives, which included gelignite-type materials used for controlled blasting, were allegedly being unloaded at a brick manufacturing unit when police conducted a raid based on a tip-off.

Sources said the NIA formally took over the case last month and has approached the Judicial First Class Magistrate-I court in Parappanangadi seeking transfer of records to its special court in Kochi. Officials at the Tirurangadi police station confirmed that the investigation has now been handed over to the central agency.

Police had earlier arrested six persons in connection with the seizure. Preliminary investigations indicated that the explosives were intended for illegal quarrying activities , but the unusually large quantity prompted the NIA to initiate a detailed probe.

Investigators also found that the explosives had originated from Bijapur. The case was registered under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, relating to possession of explosives with intent to endanger life or property and possession under suspicious circumstances.

According to sources, the NIA is expected to interrogate the accused after obtaining permission from its special court in Kochi. The agency will also examine the wider supply network and origin of the explosives.

In a related incident days before the Tirurangadi seizure, police had intercepted another lorry carrying watermelons in Palakkad and recovered over 100 boxes of gelatin sticks and detonators.