Material seized in Bokaro not uranium and never radioactive: MEA

Days after Bokaro Police in Jharkhand arrested seven individuals for ‘possessing and planning to sell mineral uranium’, the Ministry of External Affairs mentioned that the ‘seized material was not uranium and not radioactive’. The MEA’s assertion was a response to Pakistan Foreign Ministry’s remarks for a probe into ‘seizure of nuclear material’ after stories emerged from Bokaro about ‘uranium material’.
The Indian Express reported final week that the Bokaro police had seized 6.4 kg of ‘uranium mineral’ from two of the accused, and arrested a complete of seven individuals. The accused have been booked below IPC Sections 414 (Whoever voluntarily assists in concealing or disposing of or making away with property which he is aware of or has cause to imagine to be stolen property), 120B (prison conspiracy), 34 (widespread intention) and below varied sections of Atomic Energy Act.
However, on seizure of ‘suspected mineral uranium’, the MEA Spokesperson mentioned: “The Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, after due evaluation and laboratory analysis of the material sample has stated that the material seized last week is not uranium and not radioactive.”
When requested how police arrested seven individuals and likewise issued a press launch stating the seizure of mineral uranium, Jharkhand Police’s Spokesperson Amol Homkar mentioned: “More details are awaited.”

Our response to a media question on Pakistan’s official remarks in response to the media report on seizure of suspected materials (uranium) in Bokaro final week:https://t.co/IOhWbA7QOx pic.twitter.com/Y3jnpyOdyi
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 10, 2021
Calls made to Bokaro Superintendent of Police Chandan Jha didn’t elicit any response.
However, after the arrests initially, Jha had mentioned: “Seven persons have been arrested based on their confession statements of possessing mineral uranium.” Jha had refused to touch upon whether or not some other investigating company was concerned and likewise didn’t touch upon whether or not they sought custodial interrogation of the arrested accused.
The Indian Express had obtained courtroom data, the place the Bokaro police had maintained that after receiving a ‘tip’ on June 2 5 folks: Deepak Mahato, Pankaj Kumar, Mahabir Mahato, M Sharma, Krishna Kant had ‘gathered together’ and have been planning to ‘illegally sell prohibited mineral uranium in the black market’.
The police have been knowledgeable that ‘if they nab the five people, the mineral will be recovered and the operation may be revealed’, the data acknowledged. The police had then arrested two extra accused and 6.4 kg of ‘mineral uranium’ from the possession of the one accused individuals. Harla Police Station In-charge Govind Prasad Gupta had advised The Indian Express then: “All seven were arrested on June 3 morning. We are yet to arrest Munna from whom Anil and Baapi procured the uranium.”