Mumbai: Intensifying their drive against illegal storage of explosives, police have seized a huge stock of explosives, including detonators and gelatine sticks, from Borivili in North Mumbai and adjacent Thane district, leading to the arrest of one person.

Acting on information that explosives were concealed on the Western express highway at Borivili, a team rushed there and combed the area on August 5 night, police said.

The search yielded a plastic bag containing six detonators and five gelatine sticks, hidden on the highway.

Investigations revealed that the explosives belonged to a quarry owner in charge of a crushing stone business at Nagla Bunder in Thane district.

With the assistance of the Thane (rural) police, the Crime Branch sleuths raided the entire hill locality at Nagla Bunder leading to a discovery of 557 electric detonators, 238 ordinary detonators, 264 meters waterproof wires, 35 gelatine sticks and approximately 185 kgs of ammonium nitrate, police added.

Police have arrested a 34-year-old employee of the quarry, who was working as a blaster and was found in possession of the explosives.

A manhunt has also been launched for the quarry owner, police added.

Alarmed by the recent spate of blasts in the city, police have been conducting operations against illegal storage of explosives, police sources said.

PTI