Mandya (Karnataka), Jul 18 (IANS): At least dozen 'deactivated' gelatine sticks were found near controversial mining area 'Bebi Betta (hill)' in Pandvapura taluk of Karnataka's Mandya on Sunday, causing panic in the area, police said.

According to a senior police officer in Mandya, these sticks, seeming to be empty shells of gelatine sticks, were found in cattle grazing land and someone took pictures and circulated it on Whatsapp, thus creating the panic.

The police told IANS that local shepherds and cattle grazers discovered these abandoned shells of explosives, shot the videos and photos, and circulated them to local news media houses.

The police recovered these shells and sent them to explosive experts to assess whether these were genuine. "There are several methods to know who has procured these sticks," a police officer, who did not want to be identified, said.

Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambarish had visited a few quarries situated in Bebi Betta to ascertain if any illegal mining activity is going on in the area. She has been relentlessly accusing that illegal mining in the area is causing damage to the structure of Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam, which was built across Cauvery river in 1924.