The intelligence agencies suspected they were overhearing a conversation about a drop-off point for RDX (explosives) in Rajasthan.
A week ago, an officer with the intelligence agency posted in Rajasthan, overheard a familiar voice he hadn’t come across in several years. Lunia alias Sodha Khan, a man wanted for seven years for smuggling explosives, was planning a daawat (feast) with a person, on the other end of the phone, whose accent betrayed him to be a Punjabi, though not of Indian origin.
The intelligence agencies suspected they were overhearing a conversation about a drop-off point for RDX (explosives) in Rajasthan. A reason for the suspicion was that on Tuesday, security agencies had discovered 6kg of RDX at Narudi village in Barmer, enough to orchestrate a series of bomb explosions. But the police had failed to arrest anyone.
Lunia was saying, “Daawat ka samaan aa gaya hai (we have made the preparations for the feast).” The voice of the other end responded, “We are ready for the feast. Where do we reach?” Lunia disconnected the call saying, he would inform later. Overhearing the call, the intelligence officer immediately became alert: Lunia was not known to plan feasts.
“From the conversation, we knew that a major consignment had probably entered the state,” an intelligence officer said. Shortly afterwards, the unidentified man with a Punjabi accent was intercepted again on Lunia’s phone. “Bhai daawat Jodhpur mein kara do? (Brother, hold the feast in Jodhpur?)” Lunia was unmoved. He ordered, “Come to the scheduled place.”
Security agencies tracked the short conversations on Lunia’s phone and realised the venue was near a nullah (drain) at Marudi village again. Lunia said he was at the spot where the “arrangements were to be made”.
After laying a trap for him, the police arrested Lunia on Saturday. “We also arrested two more men, both having the name Nazir Khan, residents of Bhabhuton Ki Dhani,” said Bhupendra Dak, inspector general, Jodhpur range. Lunia led them to a spot where they found 8.7 kilogram of RDX and a Bolero jeep used to carry the consignment. He also confessed to being the owner of the earlier 6kg of RDX found by the police.
Sources said the heavy presence and movement of local police alerted Lunia and his accomplices, who dumped the RDX. “The second time, we created natural hideouts and our sleuths tracked Lunia for 24 hours to catch him red-handed,” an official said.
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