J&K: Army, police seize 'war-like stores' in Uri arms bust
What's the story
The Indian Army on Sunday said that it has seized "war-like stores" in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district. According to ANI, the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Army recovered a huge cache of weapons and ammunition in the Hathlanga Sector of Uri, Baramulla. The recovered items include eight AK-74 rifles, 12 Chinese pistols, and 14 Pakistani and Chinese grenades, the news agency reported.
Statement
What did the Army say?
Colonel Manish Punj of the Army's Rashtriya Rifles was quoted by ANI as saying, "The war-like stores seized included eight [AK-74] rifles with 24 magazines, 560 live rifle rounds, 12 Chinese pistols with 24 magazines, 224 live pistol rounds (sic)." He added 14 Pakistan and China grenades, along with 81 balloons with the Pakistani flag, were also recovered, according to the news agency.
Twitter Post
Baramulla Police tweets about the arms recovery
Major recovery in Uri along with 3 Rajput of @adgpi
— Baramulla Police (بارہمولہ پولیس) (@BaramullaPolice) December 24, 2022
8 AKS 74u with 24 mags and 560 rds
12 pistols (Tokarev type) with 24 mags and 244 rds
14 grenades
81 balloons with Pak flag imprint
Among other incriminating materials recovered@JmuKmrPolice@KashmirPolice pic.twitter.com/vjCjwm4eqt
Official
Joint operation launched following tip-off
Meanwhile, the police said the joint operation with the Army was launched near the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir after receiving a tip-off from one Mohd Waseem Najar. Najar is reportedly a poultry shop owner and was recently arrested after some narcotic substances were recovered in his house as part of the crackdown on a drug smuggling module that originated in Pakistan.
Information
Case has been registered, investigation underway
As per Times Now, after the arms bust in Uri, an inquiry into the matter is now underway. Along with weapons and ammunition from China and Pakistan, the items confiscated also included wheat sacks and balloons, it said.
Drug case
Recent unearthing of cross-LoC narcotics module
On Friday, the J&K Police claimed to have unearthed a large drug smuggling ring with ties to Pakistan. They reportedly arrested 17 persons from the Kupwara and Baramulla districts, including five police officers, a political activist, a contractor, and a shopkeeper. One of the accused, Najar, admitted to being part of the drug peddler ring along with revealing the names of his associates.