The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Arms, ammunition meant for militants found in truck returning from POK
JAMMU AND KASHMIR
IN A blow to the nexus between militants and cross-loc traders, the J&K Police have recovered arms and ammunition from a truck that had gone to Chikoti in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) through Kaman Bridge on Tuesday. The arms and ammunition, police said, was to meant to be delivered to militants operating in south Kashmir.
Police identified the driver of the vehicle as Irshad Ahmad Mantoo of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Mantoo is being interrogated by a police team.
Baramulla SSP Imtiaz Hussain said that a barricade was set up in Uri area based on specific information.
“The incoming goods laden trucks that had gone to Chikoti were searched and arms and ammunition was recovered from a truck bearing registration number JK03B 1586,” he said. A Chinese pistol, two magazines with 14 rounds, four AK magazines with 120 rounds and two Chinese grenades were recovered from the truck, he said.
“This ammunition was hidden in a camouflage cavity of the truck that was designed particularly for hiding arms and ammunition. The driver is resident of Buchpora, Kulgam... A case has been registered and further investigations into the matter is going on,’’ the SSP added.
Hussain said that during interrogation driver said that he had received this consignment from a militant operative in Chikoti and was supposed to deliver this ammunition to militants in south Kashmir.
Earlier too police had recovered weapons from the trucks that came from POK. Consignments of drugs too were recovered by the police and Custom officials several times.
Two years ago, after a team of Ministry of Home Affairs visited Kaman Post, they had agreed to install full-body truck scanners at Salamabad and Chakanda Bagh, something the Army has long asked for. However, till date the scanners have not been installed.
The Army’s top officials had already flagged this issue with the Centre and asked for speeding up the process.
Former J&K CM Omar Abdullah blamed the Ministry of Home Affairs for not installing the scanners. “Every single meeting with them on this issue was flagged & followed up. Thus far there has been little or no progress with those scanners. Which makes the failure of MHA even more glaring. Full truck scanners flagged for acquisition with them since Chidambaram was HM,’’ Abdullah tweeted.
In January 2015, in one of the biggest recoveries, 114 kg of brown sugar worth Rs 100 crore was seized from a truck that came from POK to the Salamabad Trade Centre.