Terror bid foiled, heavy cache of arms and ammunition recovered during raid in Gilgit

Gilgit: Police on Tuesday raided a house in the Bargo Payeen area of Gilgit, recovering heavy cache of arms and ammunition. The owner of the house was able to flee.

This was revealed today by IGP Zafar Iqbal Awan during a press conference here in the regional capital. The regional police chief said that on a tip-off the “Sargin Team” of Gilgit police under the leadership of Muhammad Mustafa raided the house of a Shahzaib son of Yunus in the Bargo Payeen area. During the raid the police found heavy cache of arms and ammunition, averting a potential terror bid.

IG Zafar further said that the alleged terrorists had been identified and they will be arrested soon, adding that security in the region is being tightened. He also said that suspicious foreigners present in the area will be evicted within thee days to avoid any untoward incident.

He revealed that some elements might be attempting to sabotage the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. He instructed the police force to remain alert and tighten security measures across the region. He added that no negligence will be tolerated in the security of the Chinese laborers and engineers engaged with various developmental projects in the region.

Responding to a question, the IG said that it is early to make any guesses about any specific terrorists plot. He, however, said that it is highly likely that the arms and ammunition had been gathered for terrorism.

According to a list provided by the Police, the recovered cache of arms included 3 rifles, 2 twelve bore rifles, one 7MM rifle, a 12 bore repeater, a 9mm pistol, a 30 bore pistol, five grenades, and several dozens of ammunition of various guns, along with a wireless set and a detonation cord. The recovered arms and ammunition were put on display during the press conference.

Leader of the Sargin Team, Muhammad Musatafa who conducted the raid and recovered the arms and ammunition was promoted to the next rank for his remarkable leadership and services.

With reporting by Abdul Rehman Bukhari and Farman Karim Baig