10-13-2006, 04:34 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Naxal arms stolen from government </b>
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Kolkata, Oct. 12: The Army and the State police on Thursday recovered a huge stockpile of arms and ammunition, including over 500 anti-personnel landmines, all manufactured at the Ichapur ordnance factory, from a rented house at Behala, Kolkata. Three people, including an Army jawan, were arrested in connection with the arms seizure. The Army is certain that the arms were meant for the use of Maoist militants in the state.
The seized arms and ammunition include 543 anti-personnel mines (non-metallic model NMM-14), 691 9 mm bullets, 340 7.62 mm bullets, 58 bullets for the .303 and 5.56 mm INSAS ammunition. âThe seizure is perhaps one of the largest recoveries of mines and other warlike weapons from any metropolitan city in recent times,â the press release issued by the Eastern Command Headquarters said. The weapons were kept in gunny bags.
The price of one anti-personnel mine is between Rs 3 lakhs and Rs 4 lakhs. The Easter Commandâs Army intelligence unit, the CID and the Intelligence Bureau raided a house in Jorapukur, near the old bus stand in Shyam Sunder Pally, in Behala area.
The spokesman who addressed the news conference, Wing Commander R.K. Das, revealed that lance naik was being watched because of his âquestionableâ activities. This jawan was earlier posted in Jammu and Kashmir and was transferred to Kolkata a few months ago.
âAfter we arrested him, he led us to the house and told us about the other two civilians whom we later arrested,â he added. But he refused to identify either the Army jawan or the two others. âI can tell you only that they are in their mid-thirties,â he added. He pointed out that these anti-personnel mines were very dangerous and not used by ordinary criminals. âThese weapons are definitely used by militants and terrorists,â the officer added.
When reporters asked how such a huge stock of weapons and ammunition could be smuggled out of the ordnance factory, a high security area, he said: âThere has certainly been a breach in the ordnance factory and we are investigating how the operation was carried out.â The Army is making further investigations to ascertain who else was involved in the stockpiling of ordnance factory arms. More arrests are likely in the next few days.
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Kolkata, Oct. 12: The Army and the State police on Thursday recovered a huge stockpile of arms and ammunition, including over 500 anti-personnel landmines, all manufactured at the Ichapur ordnance factory, from a rented house at Behala, Kolkata. Three people, including an Army jawan, were arrested in connection with the arms seizure. The Army is certain that the arms were meant for the use of Maoist militants in the state.
The seized arms and ammunition include 543 anti-personnel mines (non-metallic model NMM-14), 691 9 mm bullets, 340 7.62 mm bullets, 58 bullets for the .303 and 5.56 mm INSAS ammunition. âThe seizure is perhaps one of the largest recoveries of mines and other warlike weapons from any metropolitan city in recent times,â the press release issued by the Eastern Command Headquarters said. The weapons were kept in gunny bags.
The price of one anti-personnel mine is between Rs 3 lakhs and Rs 4 lakhs. The Easter Commandâs Army intelligence unit, the CID and the Intelligence Bureau raided a house in Jorapukur, near the old bus stand in Shyam Sunder Pally, in Behala area.
The spokesman who addressed the news conference, Wing Commander R.K. Das, revealed that lance naik was being watched because of his âquestionableâ activities. This jawan was earlier posted in Jammu and Kashmir and was transferred to Kolkata a few months ago.
âAfter we arrested him, he led us to the house and told us about the other two civilians whom we later arrested,â he added. But he refused to identify either the Army jawan or the two others. âI can tell you only that they are in their mid-thirties,â he added. He pointed out that these anti-personnel mines were very dangerous and not used by ordinary criminals. âThese weapons are definitely used by militants and terrorists,â the officer added.
When reporters asked how such a huge stock of weapons and ammunition could be smuggled out of the ordnance factory, a high security area, he said: âThere has certainly been a breach in the ordnance factory and we are investigating how the operation was carried out.â The Army is making further investigations to ascertain who else was involved in the stockpiling of ordnance factory arms. More arrests are likely in the next few days.
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