KOHAT/CHARSADDA: Police seized a big cache of weapons, including 38 Kalashnikovs, in Kohat and Charsadda on Wednesday.

In Kohat, an attempt to smuggle silencer-fitted weapons to Wana, South Waziristan, was foiled by the police near the Friendship Tunnel.

Giving details at a press conference, Kohat SP (operations) Tariq Mehmood said that a pick-up (BA-9719) coming from the arms manufacturing town of Darra Adamkhel was stopped near the tunnel.

He said that during search the police team recovered a large quantity of arms and ammunition from secret cavities carved out in the vehicle. An alleged smuggler, Mohammad Jehanzeb, a resident of Afridi Banda, Kohat, was also taken into custody.

Seizure includes 38 Kalashnikovs, over 100 pistols

The seizure displayed at the police station included 30 Kalashnikovs, 98 pistols of different bores, four extra silencers and 2,700 cartridges, all made in Darra.

Mr Mehmood said that during preliminary interrogations the accused revealed that he was just a carrier who was asked to deliver the consignment to a party in Wana, South Waziristan, for onward relocation to Afghanistan.

He said that all the guns recovered from the vehicle were fitted with silencers.

He said that DIG, Kohat region, Awal Khan had announced cash prizes and commendation certificates for members of the police team.

Meanwhile, the Kohat police arrested several suspects during in operation carried out in Miangan Colony, Afridi Banda and Darrewal Banda here.

They also recovered two Kalashnikovs, one repeater, three rifles, one shotgun, five pistols and over two kilogrammes of hashish during the operation. The police have registered cases against the owners of illegal weapons.

In Charsadda, the police and security forces arrested 30 suspects and recovered a big cache of weapons in a joint operation in different areas of Tangi tehsil on Wednesday.

DPO Suhail Khalid said that the operation was conducted in Abazai, Ziarat Kalley, Head Koroona, Station Kalley, Dherai Kalley and other localities of Tangi tehsil.

During the house-to-house search the lady police, BDU teams and sniffer dogs were also used. The police seized two rocket shells, two hand grenades, six Kalashnikovs, six rifles, 10 pistols and thousands of cartridges.

Tangi DSP Sajjad Khan told media persons that some of the detained persons were wanted to the Batgram and Takhbhai police stations in various cases. He said that cases had been registered against the suspects.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2017