In J&K's Uri, Army Seizes War-Like Stores Including 74 AKS Rifles, 12 Chinese Pistols

The Indian Army and the Jammu and Kashmir police recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition on Friday in the general area of Hathlanga Sector of Uri in North Kashmir's Baramulla district, according to Colonel Manish Punj.

“Among the war-like items seized were 8 AKS 74 rifles with 24 magazines, 560 live rifle rounds, 12 Chinese pistols with 24 magazines, 224 live pistol rounds, 14 Pakistan and Chinese grenades and 81 balloons with the Pakistan flag,” Colonel Manish Punj said.

On Friday, police arrested 17 people in Jammu and Kashmir, including five police officers, a political activist, a contractor and a local shopkeeper, in connection with a drug smuggling gang.

Arrests in the narcotics smuggling ring were made in the districts of Kupwara and Baramulla.

According to the police, Muhammad Waseem Najar, a poultry shop owner from Darzipura village in the Kupwara district, was arrested after a narcotic quantity was discovered in his home.

Following the investigation, Wasim admitted to being a member of a large group of drug peddlers and revealed the names of some of his associates from the Kupwara district and the Uri area of the Baramulla district.

“Following raids, 16 more people were apprehended, including five police officers, a political activist, a contractor and others. The arrested officers were SPOs in the department,” police said.

Previously, the police said that Shakir Ali Khan, a Pakistan-based terrorist handler originally from Keran in the Kupwara district, was the primary supplier of narcotics to his son Tahmeed Khan on this side of the Line of Control (LoC).

Following Tahmeed's confession, police discovered two packets containing a heroin-like narcotic substance weighing close to 2 kg.

Tahmeed used to transport it to Kupwara and sell it with his other arrested associates to make a fortune.

During the last three months, the module led by Tahmeed Khan is said to have pumped nearly 5 kgs of narcotics worth Rs 5 crore into the market.