Gopalganj police seized 50 grams of radioactive Californium.
Patna August 9: Gopalganj police arrested three smugglers with rare Californium stone, a radioactive substance approximately valued at Rs 850 crore in the international market, an official said on Friday.
Swarn Prabhat, the Superintendent of Gopalganj confirms the seizure highly valuable radioactive substance. He said that the accused were smuggling 50 grams on a bike.
“We have received specific information about some persons who are carrying valuable materials illegally and trying to cross the Bihar Uttar Pradesh border. Accordingly, a team comprising the District Intelligence Unit, Special Operation Group-7 and Special Task Force was constituted under the supervision of the SHO of Kuchaykot police station. They were deployed at Bihar-Uttar Pradesh Balthari border and arrested the accused on Thursday evening,” Prabhat said.
“The accused were traveling on a bike. We have seized 4 mobile phones as well as 50 gram stone,” he said.
Californium is a highly expensive radioactive substance having a gram price is approx Rs 17 crore in the international market. The price of 50 grams of stone seized is said to be around Rs 850 crore.
It is used to produce nuclear power from nuclear reactors as well as to cure many serious diseases like brain cancer.
“Following the arrest, we have informed the Department of Atomic Energy for the investigation. A special team of FSL will investigate the substance. We are interrogating the accused to know their further links,” Prabhat said.
The accused are identified as Chhote Lal Prasad (40), a resident of Parsauni Buzurg village under the jurisdiction of Tamkuhi Raj police station in Kushinagar district of Uttar Pradesh, Chandan Gupta (40) son of Yogendra Sah, resident of Kaushalya Chowk Ward No. 22 under the jurisdiction of City police station of Gopalganj and Chandan Ram (28) son of Harendra Ram, a resident of Kushahar Mathia of Gopalganj.
The SP said that the smuggler had been trying to sell this substance for several months. A special team of FSL has been called for handling and further investigation of the radioactive substance. He said that there is a test lab report of the substance also found in their possessions.
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Californium is a very expensive radioactive substance. In India, the common man cannot buy or sell it. The symbol of Californium metal is CF and the atomic number is 98. It is not natural but was synthesized in a lab in America. Californium, one of the Transuranium alloys, is a silver-colored metal.
Californium is used in the industrial field. With its help, water and oil layers in oil wells. Apart from this, it is used in the detection of gold and silver, portable metal detectors. It is also used in cancer treatment. In the medical field, it is used in cancer patients and X-ray machines. Californium, an isotope of Cf-252, is a very powerful neutron source. This neutron helps start nuclear reactors.
EOM.