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ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office has expressed serious concern over fresh reports of theft and illicit sale of radioactive material in India.
In response to media queries, Foreign Office spokesperson said that this is a matter of grave concern for the international community that an extremely rare Sealed Radioactive Source (SRS) material like Californium could be stolen.
“We have noted with serious concern yet another report of theft and illicit sale of radioactive material in India. In the latest incident, as per media reports, two persons were arrested for illegal possession of Californium which is a highly radioactive and toxic substance.”
“It is a matter of grave concern for the international community that an extremely rare Sealed Radioactive Source (SRS) material like Californium could be stolen. As in the previous cases, the arrested individuals apparently got hold of the radioactive material by purchasing it from inside India,” it added.
The spokesperson said these repeated incidents raise serious concerns about the safety and security of nuclear and other radioactive materials in India, and the possible existence of a black market for such materials inside the country.
He said it indicates the lax arrangements inside India to secure imported SRS material. Pakistan reiterates its call for a thorough investigation and adequate measures to prevent their recurrence.
Radioactive substances worth over $570 million
On August 26, it was reported that Indian authorities have arrested two suspects from the city of Kolkata for illegally possessing radioactive substances worth over $573 million, the senior Crime Investigation Department (CID) officer said.
According to Indian media, CTD officers acted on a tip-off from a person, who was reportedly approached by the accused of the sale of the four pieces of radioactive material, and detained them.
One of the four pieces seized is suspected to be Californium, which has several practical uses, police said. “The duo claimed that they bought the radioactive substances, which weighed 250 kilograms in all, from someone in Karnataka, after chancing upon him on social media,” the officer explained.
The two accused were arrested under the Atomic Energy Act and various other sections of the Indian Penal Code. A CTD officer said these materials may have been stolen from some laboratory and a probe has been intiated.
Earlier in June this year, Pakistan demanded a thorough investigation into the reports of illegal uranium trade in India after seven more people were arrested for possessing radioactive material.
Indian police in Jharkhand state arrested seven people for possessing and planning to sell ‘mineral uranium’ in the black market. Police said that they seized 6.4kg of ‘uranium mineral’ from two suspects.
