Jamshedpur, Aug. 18: Police teams, armed with equipment to detect radioactive elements, conducted search operations in several slums in Burmamines, Bistupur and Jugsalai, for the “nucleonic mould level gauges” which were stolen from a unit of Tata Steel.

“So far we have not recovered the gauges. But our search operations would continue,” superintendent of police Arun Oraon said.

“We would undertake similar search operations in other parts of the city,” he added.

Police officials said the security department of the steel major has formed a special team to help the administration locate the stolen metal.

On August 15 afternoon, Tata Steel officials discovered that three gauges made up of Cobalt-60 were missing from the store room of the research and development building of the steel major. An FIR was lodged against the theft in the Bistupur police station the same day.

The company also reported the matter to the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre (BARC) since it had granted permission to use the isotopes.

Tata Steel had acquired the gauges from Germany.

According to the superintendent of police, a two-member police team also visited the Tata Steel premises today and verified the documents regarding the gauges. The team inspected the site from where the isotopes were stolen.

On Sunday, the city police had picked up five youths of the city and interrogated them to ascertain whether they had stolen the gauges. The youths denied any involvement in the theft.

Experts said the isotopes were meant for industrial use. “The isotopes emit electro-magnetic gama rays which is 20 times less harmful than neutron fluxes and alpha particles. Except for some health and environment-related problems, there is no other danger from the gauges. a senior scientist of National Metallurgical Laboratory said.

“The isotopes cannot be used to make explosives under any circumstances,”the National Metallurgical Laboratory scientist added.

Experts of the Jadugoda-based Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) echoed similar views. They added that the stolen gauges cannot be used to make nuclear weapons or explosives.