CHITRAL: Police claimed to have recovered 404 cartridges of anti-aircraft gun from the Chitral River near Balach village here on Saturday.

Talking to journalists, District Police Officer Ghulam Hussain said that they were informed by intelligence agencies regarding the presence of the ammunition. He said that they rushed to the spot with relevant gadgets and recovered the ammunition.

Mr Hussain said that the outer surface of the casings of the cartridges was rusted which meant that those were thrown into the water many years ago.

He said that the recovered cartridges were 12.7mm and 14.5mm, which were used in anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns.

The official said that the explosive detector indicated the presence of more cartridges and other explosive material in the depth of water for which search would be continued.

An official of an intelligence agency, present on the occasion, said that during the Afghan war, the camp of Afghan commander Ahmed Shah Masood situated near the spot and he used to dump arms and ammunition there. He was of the view that the cartridges were thrown by his men into the river in late 1980s.