ISLAMABAD: Law enforcement agencies on Saturday recovered 190kg of explosive material during a search operation in the capital’s rural area.

The operation was conducted in Dhoke Abbasi, Dhoke Paracha, Sara-i-Kharboza and Madina Town located in Tarnol.

The police said a suicide jacket was found abandoned near a nullah about a kilometre away from Dhoke Paracha last Sunday. The recovery led to the operation in the localities during which three people were arrested for keeping explosives.

A police officer added that during the operation, the law enforcement personnel raided a house in Dhoke Paracha and found the explosives along with 1,700 metre prima cord and chemicals used to make explosives.

An accomplice of the three arrested men escaped.

“During interrogation, the three suspects disclosed the presence of their accomplices in another house in the same area.” A raid was conducted but nobody was found there, he said.

The arrested people claimed that they had bought the explosives for mining purposes but they failed to produce any licence or permit, the officer added.

“The ready-to-blow explosives are sold at designated areas to the miners having permits,” the officer said.

The officer said the three men, who belonged to Malakand and Waziristan, were being treated as suspects.

During the operation, the law enforcement agencies searched houses, workshops, markets and under-construction buildings.

Eight SMGs, two M-16 rifles, three repeaters, a carbine, one 7mm, three 9mm, 19 30-bore pistols, five 12-bore double barrels, two 12-bore single barrel, five pump action guns and 1,886 bullets of different weapons were recovered, the police said.

A distillery was also unearthed in the area which led to the recovery of 1,250 bottles and eight gallons of liquor.

The teams also rounded up 59 other suspects for investigations.

SP Saddar Rizwan Umer Gondal said identification cards of the suspects would be verified and their mobile phone record obtained.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2015

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