The origin of the radioactive Cobalt-60 found in Mayapuri market has been traced to a laboratory in Delhi Universitys Chemistry department,where it was lying unused for the last 25 years. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Sharad Aggarwal said on Wednesday that the university bought the gamma cell in question from the Atomic Energy Canada Limited in 1970 for use in experiments by students. It was not used since 1985. The university authorities auctioned it on February 26 this year,and it passed through different hands before reaching the scrap market in Mayapuri,according to DCP Aggarwal. Several workers and Deepak Jain,the owner of a scrap shop in the market,were hospitalised earlier this month with ailments caused by exposure to radioactive substances. One of the victims,Rajender,succumbed to the infection on Monday. DCP Aggarwal said experts from the Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research,Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC),Narora Atomic Power Station,and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) identified the source of the radioactive Cobalt-60 material after thorough inspection of the market. The cell was used in the universitys Chemistry department to conduct experiments in analysing effects of gamma rays on chemicals. But the cell had not been used for years, DCP Aggarwal said. According to him,one Harcharan Singh Bhola,who owns a scrap shop in Mayapuri,bought the gamma cell when it was auctioned by the university authorities. He reportedly removed iron parts from the cell and sold the lead part to a fellow scrap dealer,identified as Giriraj Gupta,in the same market. Gupta got it dismantled further and sold the lead to another scrap dealer but he kept the iron embedded in lead, DCP Aggarwal said. The iron scrap (containing gamma cell) removed by Harcharan Bhola reached Deepak Jain through Rajender. DCP Aggarwal said the police got vital leads from a report received from AERB on April 26: it had of photographs of the recovered source from Giriraj Guptas shop. The workers admitted in hospital were then shown photographs of the equipment and one of them reportedly identified it. A police team then interrogated Gupta,who disclosed that he bought quantity of lead from Harcharan Singh Bhola, an officer said. Bholas interrogation revealed that he had bought a machine of lead from the Delhi University. On verification from university authorities,it was confirmed that the machine Bhola mentioned was actually gamma cell,sold by the university through an auction. The police are now trying to find out who gave the order to auction the radioactive substance,and the guidelines followed in the auction process. Joint CP (Southern Range) Ajai Kashyap said no arrest has been made yet.
