Huge cache of arms and ammunition found in Patiala village

A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from an agricultural field of a retired Army official in Reetkheri village here on Thursday.

A huge cache of arms and ammunition was recovered from an agricultural field of a retired Army official in Reetkheri village here on Thursday.

The village, located a few kilometers away from the city near Punjabi University, was also an epicenter of militancy during the 1980s and 1990s. The police called the army personnel to the spot to safely dig out the weapons.

The field from where the ammunition was found belongs to Lt Col Gurcharan Singh (retd), who died in 2010. He retired from the Indian Army in 1995.
As per reports, the police found 4 rockets, 3 hand grenades and 230 9mm live cartridges of rifles.

The police immediately swung into action in the wake of the terror threat alert across the state. However, most of the cartridges were found to be spent or dysfunctional.

Police officials said the cartridges belong to different types of guns and it appears that they are from the ammunition of the army as all of them have the stamp of the Indian Army.

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said they have registered a case under the relevant sections of the Arms Act and Explosives Act against the owner of the land, Gurcharan Singh. Investigation has begun to find out how the ammunition got buried in the field.

Singh said, "During the preliminary investigation, we have found that most of the cartridges are dead and the matter is being investigated."