Illegal: Police intercepts weapon cache en route to Punjab

PESHAWAR:

Police foiled an attempt to smuggle arms and ammunition to Punjab from Darra Adam Khel by intercepting a truck on Kohat Road near Zangali check post on Wednesday. 

Addressing a news conference at his office in Malik Saad Shaheed Lines, SSP Operations Mian Saeed said they learnt a large cache of arms would be smuggled to Punjab in a truck and made arrangements to intercept it.

“We stopped the vehicle at Zangali check post and seized 600 repeater shotguns, 50 AK-47s, 20,000 cartridges and other arms hidden in the secret compartments in the truck,” he said. “The weapons were to be used for terrorist activities.”

The SSP said, “We have launched a large-scale crackdown against arms manufacturing units, dealers and shops which keep ammunition without keeping records. Several of them have been arrested.”

He added, “It has also been decided in a high-level meeting that all illegal arms manufacturing units in Fata will be shut down as they constantly pose a security threat.” A crackdown will also be launched soon in the tribal belt, said Saeed.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 12^th, 2015.