Srinagar: Army on Tuesday said that it recovered five Ak-47 rifles, six pistols 23 grenades, two UBGL, along the Line of Control in Rampur sector of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.

A Srinagar based defense  spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said that on August 30, movement of suspicious persons was detected in the area.

The movement, he said, was from a village close to the LoC and the suspects had crossed into this side of Kashmir.
“Their move was kept under constant surveillance,” he said, adding, that due to adverse terrain, thick foliage and bad weather conditions, alert was sounded for a likely infiltration attempt. Kalia further said that surveillance grid was beefed up across the area and ambushes were carried to thwart any such attempt.

Subsequently, he said, on Monday at around 0500 hours, after extensive search of seven hours, a huge cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from a well concealed locations in two hideouts in Rampur Sector. The arms recovery comprises five AK Series Rifles along with six magazines and two sealed boxes with 1254 rounds of AK ammunition, six pistols with nine magazines and six rounds, twenty one grenades, two UBGL grenades and two Kenwood Radio sets, the army spokesperson said.

He said the suspected modus operandi was to drop “warlike stores in caches near the LoC and subsequently OGWs or militants would pick the same for further transportation into the hinterland for militants activities”.

As per the spokesperson, similar attempts were made on 22 July 20, when inputs were received regarding likely weapon drop along the Line of Control ahead of the anti-infiltration fence.
In a search operation carried earlier along the Line of Control in Rampur Sector, Baramulla, one AKS-74U with magazines, 05 pistols (one with Chinese markings) and magazines, 24 grenades were recovered, he said.
“The modus operandi shows desperate attempts by militant groups to infiltrate weapons into J&K with active connivance of Pakistan Army. Robust surveillance and Line of Control domination activities will continue to deny all such misadventures,” added the spokesperson. (GNS)

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