India’s N-material black market flourishing?

Despite the tall claims of New Delhi authorities that they strictly follow the stringent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards and safeguards, Depleted Uranium (DU) weighing 8.861 kilograms, worth about 240 million Indian Rupes has been seized the other day by Indian police from two residents of Mumbai, namely Kishore Prajapati and Saifullah Khan.   According to authentic details available, the two persons in illegal possession of Depleted Uranium have been arrested for further investigation and prosecution. 

It has been further revealed that Prajapati has been named as director of an unlisted company that deals with manufacturing of metals, chemicals and related products. 

During investigation, startling disclosures have come to the fore as Prajapati has claimed that he got the radioactive material from the wings of a scrapped Air India aircraft that he had purchased 10-12 years ago through his contacts in industry. After confirming the nature of material from a laboratory in 2014, he decided to sell it in the black market which does not appear to have been put under effective surveillance (thus leading to such under-the-table transactions of restricted radioactive material).

A report prepared by Bhaba Atomic Research Center (BARC) has stated that the Uranium is sourced from outside India and it contains 0.3 % Fissile Isotope U-235 which can be used both for military and civilian purposes. 

BARC report, which has also been reportedly endorsed by Indian police, seems to be a part of New Delhi government’s efforts to cover up the domestic shortcomings that have resulted in acquisition and handling of such material by local businessmen with considerable ease. However, the accused maintains that the material was acquired locally, tested at a local laboratory and was to be sold in (local) black market.