A resident of Mundal, Mannar was apprehended by the Sri Lanka Navy on Wednesday morning (21 Feb.) with a stock of 650 water gel sticks – a type of commercial explosive.
The 43-year-old suspect was arrested during a search of a public transport bus in the Pallemunai area, and was handed over to the Mannar Police, along with the seized explosives, Sri Lanka Navy reported.
The special coordinated search operation was carried out by the SLNS Gajaba in the North Central Naval Command, with the assistance of the Mannar Divisional Crime Detective Bureau.
It is suspected that the explosive items have been obtained with the intention of using them for illegal fishing activities.
The Sri Lanka Navy says it has been conducting regular operations to crack down on fishing using explosives as it poses a serious threat to marine life and can cause long-lasting damage to the marine ecosystems.
