NIA cites larger conspiracy in Malappuram explosives seizure; court denies accused anticipatory bail

Published 2 July 2026 · india

The Investigation Agency (NIA) has told a special court that it is probing a larger criminal conspiracy involving a firm based in Talikoti, Karnataka, in

The Investigation Agency (NIA) has told a special court that it is probing a larger criminal conspiracy involving a firm based in Talikoti, Karnataka, in connection with the seizure of a huge quantity of explosives from Malappuram district in Kerala in February 2026. The NIA is investigating the seizure of 89,600 gelatin sticks and 1.05 lakh non-electric detonators from a lorry carrying onion sacks at Tirurangadi in Malappuram on February 7, 2026. Mantagound Biradar (35) of Bijapur, Karnataka, and Bapagoud Bheeramaya Choudri (47) of Talikoti, Karnataka, recently approached the NIA court in Kochi seeking anticipatory bail after the agency initiated steps to interrogate them. The NIA submitted that Biradar and Choudri are the owners of Chetan Enterprises, the firm that supplied the seized explosives. According to the agency, Biradar had purchased the explosives from Vetrivel Explosives and Trident Explosives in Tamil Nadu. The agency told the court that its investigation revealed that the barcode labels affixed to the explosive packages had been deliberately removed or tampered with to conceal their source, ownership and movement. During a search of the magazine premises of Chetan Enterprises in Talikoti, investigators recovered live detonators and tampered barcode labels. “These circumstances point towards a larger criminal conspiracy and prima facie reveal illegal handling and trafficking of explosive substances, necessitating custodial interrogation of the petitioners to ascertain the source, movement and intended use of the explosives,” the NIA submitted.

According to the agency, the materials collected during the investigation prima facie reveal the petitioners’ involvement in the criminal conspiracy and indicate the existence of a larger network behind the offence. Defence stand Counsel for the petitioners argued that they were licensed explosives dealers and had legally purchased the materials from authorised manufacturers. The defence contended that, since their possession of the explosives was lawful, offences under Sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act were not attracted and, at best, the allegations amounted to violations under the Explosives Act, 1884, which are bailable. The petitioners also produced tax invoices, the firm’s registration certificate and licences issued by the Joint Chief Controller of Explosives, South Circle, Chennai. NIA’s charges However, the NIA maintained that the deliberate removal and destruction of barcode labels amounted to an attempt to destroy material evidence and frustrate the regulatory tracking mechanism, warranting a detailed investigation into the larger conspiracy. The court asked the petitioners to produce the GST e-way bill relating to the consignment, but they failed to do so. “The failure on the part of the petitioners to produce the e-way bill issued by them shows that the petitioners have sold the explosives to unauthorised persons without bills. The fact that the explosive materials were found concealed under onion bags without the labels required under the rules makes it clear that the petitioners sold them illegally,” the court observed.