Was seized uranium sourced from an old Boeing?

THANE: Mystery surrounds the seizure of nearly nine kgs of depleted

uranium

(DU) worth Rs 27 crore from two men who claimed to have sourced it from a scrapped Boeing airplane. The suspects—Saifullah Khan and Kishor Prajapati—were recently detained by the crime branch.

The consignment was seized after a trap was laid for the duo on Ghodbunder Road. The men were nabbed while allegedly looking for customers to sell the metal for around Rs 3 crore per kg.

During the initial round of questioning, the duo told investigators that Prajapati, a scrap dealer, had procured the DU from a scrapped plane and Khan had been helping him sell it since a long time, said a senior officer. However, the officer added, “There is too much disparity in their statements. We are yet to verify their claims or ascertain the source of procurement. They have not produced evidence to support their claims,” the officer told TOI.

Thane police commissioner

Param Bir Singh

said the DU, which weighs 8.6kg, was sent to

BARC

for tests. “Later, a designated officer from BARC will register an offence under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962. Once the offence is registered, suitable action will be taken,” Singh told TOI. Cops have also secured a “metallurgy report” used to convince customers about its purity. “The certificate shows the name of a Ghatkopar lab. They will be questioned too,” said Singh.