Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 19: Police with the help of local people today recovered three 12 bore rifles and 110 rounds hidden inside the bushes at an isolated plot at Karyani Talab in Narwal Bala locality under the jurisdiction of Trikuta Nagar police station. Though the seizure was part of six 12 bore rifles seized from an armoury shop at Trikuta Nagar in July this year, police was not ruling out militancy angel in the case though it believed that the criminals might have taken away the rifles and hidden them at different places.
Even after the recovery of three 12 bore rifles and 110 rounds today and 470 rounds on August 31, police was yet to recover three 12 bore rifles and 400 plus rounds, which had been stolen from Shah Armoury at Mangal Market in Trikuta Nagar.
Police sources said the labourers working in the plot of Surinder Kumar son of Girdhari Lal at Karyani Talab Narwal Bala under Trikuta Nagar police station jurisdiction this morning noticed a bag lying in the bushes inside the plot, which they were cleaning. They opened the bag and saw arms and ammunition lying in it.
The plot owner immediately informed police, which rushed to the spot and took the bag in its custody. The bag was found carrying three 12 bore rifles and 110 rounds. On verifications, police found that the weapons and ammunition were the same, which had been stolen from Shah Armoury by some unidentified persons on July 12 this year.
Police personnel conducted searches in the area for remaining weapons and ammunition but no further seizures were made.
Sources said the criminals after taking away six 12 bore rifles and ammunition from Shah Armoury might have dumped it at different places to pick them at an opportune time. So far, police have recovered two consignments-first on August 31 this year in which 470 rounds were seized and second today in which three 12 bore rifles and 110 rounds were recovered.
However, three 12 bore rifles and 420 rounds were yet to be recovered. Police have been conducting searches at different places to trace the missing weapons and ammunition but there were no clues so far.
Sources confirmed that the weapons and ammunition seized so far belonged to the Shah Armoury. However, in both the recoveries, police haven’t been able to arrest any of the accused. Even the remaining three weapons and ammunition were also lying untraced.
Though police believed that a gang of criminals might have committed theft in the Armoury shop and decamped with weapons and ammunition to sell them to some gangsters outside the State, the militancy angle in the theft hasn’t been completely ruled out.
“All angles are under investigations. Everything is being probed. Hopefully, we will get the accused and remaining consignment of weapons and ammunition shortly,” police sources said, adding their special teams were conducting raids at different placed to nab the accused and effect the recoveries.
It may be mentioned here that a case in the theft already stands registered at Trikuta Nagar police station.
Follow our WhatsApp channel