Malappuram (Kerala) | Over 10,500 gelatin sticks and detonators were seized from a lorry carrying onions at Chemmad here on Saturday, police said.

Police have taken a woman, who owns the lorry into custody, an officer said.

According to police, around 245 boxes containing over 10,500 gelatin sticks, detonators and wires were recovered from a lorry parked at a bricks manufacturing unit.

Officials at the Tirurangadi police station said the onion-laden lorry had reached the bricks manufacturing unit late on Friday night.

Following a tip-off, police reached the spot, after which the people who were unloading the goods from the lorry fled.

Later on Saturday morning, police unloaded the consignment and found boxes containing detonators, gelatin sticks and wires concealed among the bags of onions.

Police officials said the quantification process has been completed, and a case will be registered soon.

Police said the woman taken into custody also runs a quarry, and it is suspected that the detonators and gelatin sticks were brought for use in illegal mining activities.

An officer said the explosives were brought from outside Kerala, and an investigation has been launched to trace their source.

On February 4, police had seized 18,000 gelatin sticks and 4,200 detonators concealed among watermelons loaded in a pickup van at Kadamkode in Palakkad.