Huge cache of arms, ammunition recovered from village near Indo-Pak border

TARN TARAN: Police here have seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition from near the Indo-Pak border on Wednesday.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP), PS Virk, told TOI that the recoveries included five kg PETN explosive, 1.75 kg RDX, four landmines, two AK 47 assault rifles and 250 AK 47-like cartridges from a jungle near border village of Sarai Amanat Khan, on a specific input provided by an informer. PETN explosive is highly inflammable and dangerous than RDX, he said.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the cache was hidden underground by slain Khalistan Commando Force (Paramjit Singh Panjwar group) activist Harbhajan Chatu during the hey days of militancy in Punjab. The arsenal was well-wrapped with plastic sheets that it was use-ready even now, the SSP said. Investigations also revealed that the explosives and weaponry were sent from Pakistan by the then Pak sympathizers of armed Khalistan movement.

However, Virk ruled out the possibility of smuggling of arms and ammunition from Pakistan in recent times. Virk also discounted the possibility that the weapons could have been used by remnants of KCF in Tarn Taran district, which was once the hub of militancy in Punjab. "There is very less possibility of any remanants of KCF here," said he.

It was after several years that state police made a huge recovery of lethal weapons from a border village, the SSP said. "Police had begun investigations and more recoveries of arms and ammunition are possible in near future. We have some inputs and are on lookout for more such hidden arsenal," he said.