KOHAT, Dec 4 The police arrested at least 42 suspects during a search operation in different parts of Kohat district in the wake of influx of IDPs from the tribal area on Friday.

The crackdown initiated after midnight continued for five hours till the wee hours of Friday in Ublan, Ghamkol, Ghulam Banda, Gandiali, Talkan, Mian Garhi and Bazid Khel.

There were five Afghan nationals among the suspects who were arrested under the foreign act, officials said.

The anti-terrorist squad also recovered a hand grenade, 13 Kalashnikovs, 8 rifles, 10 shotguns, 29 pistols and 7kg of hashish from the suspects.

The DPO said that the reason behind conducting operations on daily basis was to check the infiltration of militants in the guise of internally displaced people who were coming in thousands to take shelter in Kohat from embattled Orakzai Agency.