Gopalganj, Aug 9 (UNI) In a breakthrough, the security personnel confiscated 50 gm Californium worth over Rs 850 crores and arrested three smugglers under the Kuchaaykot police station area.
Police superintendent Swarn Prabhat said here on Friday that the smugglers for the past several months have been trying to sell the radioactive material, however, they were arrested on Thursday evening following a tip-off in a joint operation of STF District Investigation Unit (DIU), Special Operations Group-7 (SOG-7) and local police.
He said that the team deployed at the Bihar-Uttar Pradesh-Balthari border adjoining Gopalganj intercepted a motorcycle by which the suspects were travelling along with the Californium, used in nuclear reactors to produce nuclear power and is employed in treating serious diseases. The security personnel seized the nuclear material. The suspects were also found in possession of four mobile phones. The arrested smugglers were being interrogated.
The SP said that the estimated value of one gm of Californium, an expensive radioactive substance is about Rs 17 crore in the international market. The total value of the confiscated 50 gram Californium stone is nearly Rs 850 crore.
According to the SP, one of the arrested smugglers belongs to Kushinagar whereas the rest two were from Gopalganj and acted as liners.
Those arrested have been identified as Chhote Lal Prasad (40), a resident of Parsauni Buzurg village, located in the Tamkuhi Raj police station area of Kushinagar district, Uttar Pradesh, Chandan Gupta (40), a resident of Kaushalya Chowk, Ward No. 22, in the town police station area and Chandan Ram, a resident of Kushahar Mathia in Gopalganj.
He said that teams experts in handling radioactive materials as well as FSL team have been called in for investigation.
The Department of Atomic Energy has also been informed about it.
The SP informed that the accused were also in possession of a test report of IIT Madras, a nuclear power company of Puducheri of the radioactive substance indicating its nature.
The local police contacted the institute in Puducherry and spoke to Professor S Mohan of IIT Madras whose name has been mentioned on the certificate who dubbed the certificate as fake, the SP said.
The police were also trying to contact the company.
Californium is a man made synthetic radioactive substance and are good source of neutrons which is useful in a nuclear power plant. Apart from being used in detecting trace elements in samples is also useful in the treatment of brain and cervical cancers.
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