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Palakkad (Kerala): A pick-up van carrying more than 100 boxes of explosives was seized near Palakkad town area here, police said on Wednesday night.

An officer of the Palakkad Town South police station said the initial count found over 100 boxes of gelatin sticks and more than 20 boxes of detonators in the vehicle.

The boxes were hidden under a consignment of watermelons, he said, adding that the seizure occurred around 9 pm.

The officer further said that the driver of the vehicle was taken into custody. During his preliminary questioning, the driver revealed that he had loaded the boxes from Coimbatore and was taking them to a quarry in Thrissur, he said.

Police intercepted the pick-up van during an inspection of vehicles after receiving information that large quantities of explosives were being illegally brought into the state, the officer said.

"The driver did not stop the vehicle when the police asked him to. Thereafter, the vehicle was chased down," he said.

The police officer said that a case under the Explosive Substances Act will be registered against the driver after the seizure of the boxes is completed.