RAWALPINDI, June 30: The Rawalpindi police captured a huge quantity of arms brought into the city for causing sabotage and mayhem in Gilgit and Rawalpindi, a senior police officer announced on Friday.

District Police Officer Saud Aziz told a hurriedly called press conference that the captured weapons included rockets and mortars, landmines, anti-aircraft guns and explosives used by suicide bombers.

The DPO said Bilal Hussain, working as a “carrier” has been arrested and is being interrogated by a team of senior police officers. He is the resident of Gilgit. While the truck driver escaped from the scene.

Saud Aziz who was jubilant over police success said: “Today’s seizure of sophisticated weapons was very vital and apparently it had no link with sectarian issue, however, investigation is underway to ascertain the other facts.”

The DPO said that had this consignment of weapons not intercepted by the police, it would have been used for sabotage activities in Gilgit and Rawalpindi.

Giving the details of the seizure, the DPO Saud Aziz said on a tip-off, a police party spotted a truck (MGH-3535) loading fruits and vegetable in Gangmandi police area. Saud Aziz said, inspector Tanveer Wraich and his team took the truck into custody and started searching it. During search, the police recovered the weapons concealed in the cavities of the truck.

The DPO said the seizure included 15 rockets of RPG-7, 63 mortar rockets of 82MM, 23 fuses, 82 MM Mortar of M-74 HE, 9 boxes of rounds, 5 pistols of 30 bore, 34 fuses of mortar, 82 mortar celimeter site, one bullet of machine gun, two packs of C4 explosive used by suicide bombers.

Saud Aziz said, the seizure also included one mortar of 82 MM, 4 magazines, 2 MG Mount, one barrel MM mortar, one tons, 63 mortar rocket of 82MM, 11 mortar rocket of 82 MM, 15 fuse of 82 MM mortar, 2 land mines (black round plates), 5 pistol of 30 bore spare magazines, 500 pistol rounds, 4 detonators, 2 magazines, one secondary mortar of 82 MM, one mortar by parts, 7 different magazine barrel, one RPG-7, 5 silver tube and card primary 82 MM mortar.

The DPO said the seized arms are still to be defused and for this purpose bomb disposal experts have been called. Mostly the weapons are Russian made.

Saud Aziz said that the arrested accused is being interrogated to find out his connections in Rawalpindi. “It would be premature to say that he had any sectarian link,” the DPO said.