Gangtok, Nov. 10: Four persons have been arrested in connection with a cache of explosives that was found inside a vehicle in Rangpo in East Sikkim last evening.

While three of the arrests were made in Rangpo itself, the owner of the vehicle was picked up from Singtam.

While an investigation is on, it is still unclear as to what the trio intended to with the explosives.

Superintendent of police (East) M.S. Tuli told The Telegraph that Karma Sherpa, Jigdel Samten Sherpa and Don Rai were found suspiciously moving around in Rangpo, on the Sikkim-Bengal border, last evening in a Maruti van bearing the registration number SK 04 6768. Suspecting something was amiss, the police stopped the vehicle and a search revealed six gelatine sticks and a high grade explosive hidden in the tool kit of the van. Initially, the trio feigned ignorance of the explosives.

The owner of the vehicle was identified as one Nil Kumar Rai of Singtam. Immediately, the subdivisional police officer of Rangpo, Sonam Bhutia, rushed to Singtam and arrested Nil Kumar from his residence.

The other three are also from Singtam.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the explosives were part of a consignment of Lanco, a private company which has its state regional office in Gangtok. Police officials said the items were either pilfered or stolen from this consignment. The East district police chief, however, said the theft should have been reported to the police, but in this case there had been complaints from the company.

The four arrested have been charged under Section 5 of the Explosive Substances Act. They were today produced before the court in Gangtok and remanded in five days’ police custody.