Thirty-two quintals of sulphur, a key ingredient of explosives, were recovered on Tuesday morning on the outskirts of the city.

Two persons have been arrested. The police are on the lookout for another person in this connection.

The police ruled out any connection between the recovery on Tuesday and the multiple blasts at Mahabodhi Mahavihara in Bodhgaya on July 7, but claimed that it was an important recovery as the element was being supplied to criminals and Maoists in Bihar and other states.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Manu Maharaj said: “We received a tip-off early this (Tuesday) morning that a gang was purchasing and selling marijuana near Abu Mohammed Bypass under the jurisdiction of Bakhtiyarpur police station. A team was formed and two policemen were sent to verify the information. Once confirmed, the team raided the spot and found some people sitting at a betel shop in an inebriated state.

“Seeing the policemen, the men fled. One of them, identified as Rajesh Kumar alias Raju alias Langra was nabbed and 50 cigarettes stuffed with marijuana were recovered from him.”

Raju took the policemen to a small shop where three sacks of sulphur, codenamed “jadibooti vaali peeli mitti”, and another sack of marijuana were recovered. The police also recovered used firecracker shells, 48 pouches of country liquor and Rs 3,595.

During interrogation, Raju revealed that he had bought the sulphur from a businessman, Bhagwan Lal.

The police raided Lal’s godown at Mirajdan ki Chhawni under the jurisdiction of Malsalami police station in Patna City. Lal managed to flee but his father Dayanand Modi was arrested.

A police officer said: “Lal is a resident of Sikandra in Naxalite-hit Jamui district. We suspect that the sulphur recovered today (Tuesday) was being supplied to the rebels.”