Srinagar, Feb 22: In the biggest ever seizure of its kind, the Border Security Force (BSF) today has recovered 640 kg of high and low grade explosives and 11,000 rounds of AK ammunition in a pre-dawn operation from two places in the summer capital Srinagar, dealing a severe blow to the militants plan to step up their activities ahead of forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Acting on a specific information, troops of the 98 Battalion assisted by local police, raided Maharaj Gunj locality in the inner city and recovered 590 kg of low grade explosive hidden in the shop of one Noor Mohammad Gujri, said BSF spokesman T Acharya.
He said the explosives were meant to be distributed among various militant outfits operating in the city to carry out IED attacks in various places to create panic and fear.
In the second operation, troops of BSF's 193 battalion unearthed a Hizbul Mujahideen dump at Parimpora locality of downtown city and recovered a consignment containing 50 kg of high grade explosives and 11,000 rounds of AK ammunition, the BSF officer said.
He said the composition of the explosive was being ascertained. It could be deadly RDX and plastic explosive as militants posses these explosive substances and had used them in the past to trigger off explosions.
Acharya said the operation was also conducted on a tip off that Hizbul Mujahideen had smuggled the high grade explosive and large quantity of ammunition into the city for its activists.
However, the militants escaped prior to the operation. A hunt has been launched to nab them, the officer said. Bureau Report