The seizure of 74 quintals of ammonium nitrate on Sunday afternoon from a truck in Jamui has led police to believe the consignment was on its way to Maoists operating in the region.

The truck, travelling from Jharkhand, had hit 12-year-old Pawan Paswan near Ghormo Ashram in Jamui around 3.30pm. While Pawan escaped with injuries, the truck’s driver and assistant fled after the vehicle rolled down into a ditch. Personnel from Chandramandi police station and 131st battalion of the CRPF found 148 bags of ammonium nitrate weighing 74 quintals under straw bundles in the truck, said Jamui superintendent of police Deepak Barnwal.

Sources said intelligence agencies had informed police in the area about the rebels preparing for a major explosion.