Jammu, Sept 3: A major tragedy was averted after security forces recovered a cache of arms and ammunition during a search operation in the dense forests of Khataji Ridge in Mahore area of Reasi district on Tuesday, officials said.
The recovery was made during a joint operation conducted by the Army’s 58 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and the Special Operations Group (SOG) following specific intelligence inputs received from a local Army intelligence unit regarding the presence of terrorist hideouts and war-like stores in the area.
Acting swiftly on the information, the joint team launched an extensive search operation in the rugged and heavily forested terrain of Khataji Ridge. During the operation, security personnel unearthed a cache of arms and ammunition believed to have been concealed for use by terrorists operating in the region.
The recovered material included **140 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, 19 rounds of PIKA Light Machine Gun (LMG) ammunition, 25 rounds of 9mm pistol ammunition, one hand grenade, six cassettes, one AK magazine and one pistol**.
Officials said the timely recovery prevented the possibility of the weapons and ammunition being used for terrorist activities, thereby averting a major security threat in the region. The seizure is being seen as a significant success in the ongoing counter-terrorism efforts in the Chenab Valley.
The recovered arms and ammunition have been taken into custody, and security agencies have launched further investigations to identify the terrorist network behind the cache and ascertain how long the weapons had been stored in the area.
The operation forms part of intensified anti-terror measures across the Jammu region, where security forces have been conducting aggressive search and surveillance operations to neutralise terrorist threats and dismantle support infrastructure in remote forested areas.
