Consignment was sent for terror acts
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 3: Police today recovered arms and explosives dropped by a drone near Rakh Barotiya close to the Railway line near Vijaypur town in Samba district and foiled the terror plot to pick up the consignment and hand it over to the militants for terror strikes.
DIG Jammu-Samba-Kathua Range Shakti Pathak told the Excelsior that the consignment was recovered by police team from isolated area in Rakh Barotiya this morning after getting a tip off.
The consignment includes three Chinese made pistols, four hand grenades, six magazines and 48 rounds. Click here to watch video
Reports said the weaponry appeared to have been dropped through drone from across the border. The drone seems to have returned after dropping the consignment which was to be picked up by Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of the militants but it was recovered by police before the OGWs could do their job.
After effecting the recoveries, police launched search operation in the area but no movement was observed. It is suspected that the militant associates became aware that the consignment has fallen into the hands of police and didn’t come forward to collect it.
Militant OGW Arif arrested earlier by police too had picked up the consignment of arms and explosives from the same area, sources said.
Significantly, the Pakistani drone appeared to have covered a lot of distance to reach close to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Vijaypur to drop the consignment and managed to return as well without being observed either by the BSF or by the police.
Last week, the militants triggered an IED blast at village Sanyal, close to the International Border in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district and left behind a grenade which was recovered by the police. A day before, the BSF spotted a drone in Ramgarh sector of Samba district and opened fire after which the flying object returned to Pakistan.
“We received information about a suspected package (lying) in the fields of Rakh Barotiya in the Vijaypur belt. We immediately rushed police, bomb disposal squad and FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) teams to the spot. It was first ascertained if the package contained an IED (Improvised Explosive Device),” police said.
According to past modus operandi, the police suspect that the package was dropped by a drone from across the border.
“It looks like the weapons consignment has been dropped by drone (from across the International Border). It had a box and a long string of plastic measuring 50 metres… It looks like (air) dropping,’’ police said.
However, they added, exact detail can be ascertained only after an investigation.
Sources said the area had earlier also been used by the militant associates to pick up arms and explosives dropped through drones. However, surveillance is being strengthened in the area, they added.
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