BIRATNAGAR: Following the arrest of two self-proclaimed leaders of underground armed outfits here in Morang on Sunday, the police today said that they also recovered a huge cache of weapons from the hideout of Binod Kumar Pandey, the "supreme commander" of Ranabir Sena.

Organising a press conference on Monday, police confirmed the arrests of Pandey and another RP Mainali - the chief of Nepal Defence Army, who were in the most wanted list of criminals. However, the heads of the criminal gangs were not present before journalists.

Raiding Pandey's main office in Biratnagar's Kanchanbari, the police seized large amount of explosives. SP Devendra Subedi said Pandey had been using the rented house as a "laboratory" for making bombs.

Pandey, 41-a permanent resident of Rajbiraj Municipality-1, Saptari, was living in a rented apartment in Biratnagar-4.

They have seized a revolver and five rounds of its bullets, 12 pipe bombs, two socket bombs, two petrol bombs, 10 kg explosives, two kg gun powder, a kg soda, one packet boric acid, 500 grams sodium, four mobile sets, seven SIM cards, various documents and warning letters, among others.

Pandey, an engineer of Surya Nepal before the genesis of the underground outfit, had been allegedly involved in numerous crimes in Kathmandu and Tarai districts from the past three years.

According to police, Pandey used to identify himself with different pseudonyms, such as Bhagirath Singh, Chakradhar Singh and Raghubir Pratap Singh. His group detonated nine bombs in Biratnaagar and two in Kathmandu.

Pandey's gang had also exploded a bomb outside the parliament building a day before the beginning of Constituent Assembly and detonated another bomb in Ratnapark in the oath taking day of lawmakers.

In Biratnagar, he is accused of detonating bombs in NHRC in September 2, 2007; in Nepal Telecom office toilet in December 4, 2007; in the Kantipur Publications' office on March 12, 2008 and in Nobel Medical College on April 7, 2008.

He had also detonated bombs in Ghoghapul and Roadshesh chowks of Biratnagar on August 29, Daphne Chowk on September 5 and Welcome Gate constructed by Maoists on September 6.

Police said Pandey's accomplices -- Sujan Tamang alias Maila, 24, and Sonu Limbu, 21-are still at large.