A huge cache of ammunition headed
for Jammu and Kashmir was seized in the Kolkata port area by the detective
department of the city police on Wednesday afternoon.
According to city police commissioner
Sujoy Chakraborti, about 25,000 rounds of 7.62 mm bullets used in AK-47
rifles were found in an abandoned lorry bearing Meghalaya registration
at Dhobitalao in West Port police station area. "This is the largest seizure
of ammunition by Kolkata Police in recent times," claimed Chakraborti.
In a concealed cavity above the
driver’s cabin, the police found 49 olive green bags of coarse cloth. The
cavity was carved into a false ceiling above the driver’s seat and nailed
seamlessly with a oneinch plank. Each bag had about 400 to 600 rounds of
bullets of foreign make, said Chakraborti.
The city police received a specific
Intelligence tip-off about a month ago that a lorry loaded with explosives
from the North-East would pass through Kolkata en route J&K. "We had
been working on the information and today we intercepted the consignment
preventing it from reaching terrorist outfits," said Chakraborti.
It was a daunting task as hundreds
of lorries are parked at Dhobitalao near Hyde Road. Of them, one lorry
which had been parked there since August 6, raised their suspicion. Moreover,
its number plate had been freshly painted. This helped the team of detectives
led by DC DD (special) Piyush Pandey to pinpoint the lorry.
According to DC DD (I) Soumen Mitra,
"We learnt from garage keeper Mohammed Alamgir that two Kashmiris had changed
the number plate of the lorry on August 21. One of the Kashmiris was 50
years old and the other was aged about 45."
When Alamgir asked why they were
doing so, they told him their registration had lapsed. So, they had to
get a registration number of another state, said Mitra. Alamgir is a key
witness in the case and could provide more clues, feel police.
The lorry had come from the North-East
loaded with bamboo articles. It had changed number plates several times
on its way. An Assam registration number (AS 01C 6924) on the lorry was
changed to ML 07 5859 by the Kashmiris.
The truck was, perhaps, waiting
for an opportune time to move out. "Maybe, they were waiting for some consignment
which would serve as a cover for transporting the ammunition," said detective
chief Mitra.
"We have seized registration papers
of the lorry and checking the chassis number. We will also search other
parts of the vehicle to see if there are any more hidden compartments,"
said Chakraborti.
The city police will also consult
experts and conducting forensic tests to ascertain the make and origin
of bullets. They are working out available information to zero in on the
sender and recipient of the consignment.
Explosive find
* About 25,000 rounds of 7.62 mm
bullets used in AK-47 rifles
* Abandoned lorry had Meghalaya
registration
* "Largest recent ammo seizure
by city police"
* Police had received a specific
Intelligence tip-off about a month ago