The Foreign Office (FO) said on Tuesday that Pakistan was “gravely concerned” at “recurring incidents of theft and illicit sale” of nuclear and other radioactive materials in India, criticising the country for its ongoing safety and security lapses.

The statement comes days after police arrested three individuals in India’s Bihar state for illegally possessing 50 grams of radioactive californium worth Indian rupees 8.5 billion, according to Times of India (TOI).

Pakistan has also expressed its concern over similar incidents in the past, including in 2021 when three instances of seizure of stolen radioactive material were reported in India in four months.

“Pakistan is gravely concerned at the reports of recurring incidents of theft and illicit sale of nuclear and other radioactive materials in India,” FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch was quoted as saying in a press release responding to a query about the recent arrests.

“In the latest incident, a gang of individuals were found in illegal possession of a highly radioactive and toxic substance californium, worth US$100 million in quantity,” the press release noted.

It highlighted that three incidents of californium theft were also reported in 2021, while five individuals with a radioactive device reportedly stolen from Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) were arrested last month from Dehradun in India’s Uttarakhand state.

“These recurring incidents call into question the measures taken by New Delhi for the safety and security of nuclear and other radioactive material,” Baloch asserted, adding that they also “suggest the existence of a black market for sensitive, dual use materials inside India”.

“The international community seeks an earnest disclosure from the Indian authorities as to how a sealed Radioactive Source (SRS) material, like californium, was in the possession of the apprehended individuals,” the press release said.

Terming it “dangerous” that such sensitive material in India was “routinely found in the wrong hands”, Baloch said Pakistan reiterated its call for a thorough investigation of these incidents and for adequate measures to prevent their recurrence.

According to TOI, californium is a restricted radioactive substance used in nuclear power plants, portable metal detectors, and the treatment of cancer. Its sale and purchase are prohibited in India.

In May 2021, Indian police arrested two men in the western Maharashtra state for illegally possessing over seven kilogrammes of natural uranium. Within a month, Jharkhand police arrested seven people and seized 6.4kg of uranium from their possession.

The third incident that year involved four mineral-like rocks weighing 250.5gm, which were believed to be californium.

In November 2021, the FO had rejected Indian claims about the seizure of a potentially radioactive consignment on board a vessel that originated from Karachi. It clarified that the shipment contained empty containers that had previously been used for shipping fuel for K-2 and K-3 nuclear power plants.