The Jammu and Kashmir Police seized three more AK-47 rifles and a large quantity of ammunition near the Line of Control (LoC) on Sunday (14th September), from the Mandi area of Poonch district. With this recovery, the number of rifles seized in the district over the last two weeks has gone up to seven.
Officials said the revelation made during the investigation of three arrested Army porters, who are accused of helping the Hizbul Mujahideen smuggle weapons from across the border. The trio, identified as Tariq Sheikh of Azamabad, Riyaz Ahmad, and Mohammad Shafi of Chamber Kinari village, are all in their 20s.
Earlier, almost two weeks ago, the J&K police already seized four AK-47 rifles and ammunition from two different locations in the district. A huge cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered during a search operation in Jammu and Kashmir‘s Kupwara district on 27th August. It included 22 grenades, an under-barrel grenade launcher, 15 AK-47 rounds, and half a kg of black powdered substance, suspected to be an explosive.
On 30th August, Sheikh and Riyaz were caught after two rifles were recovered in Azamabad. Further questioning led police to Sheikh’s rented accommodation in Mandi Jallian, where two more rifles were found, and soon after, Shafi was arrested.
On Sunday, 14th September, another search operation was carried out near the barbed wire fence in Sawjian, where three rifles and seven magazines were recovered. Officials said the porters had already managed to smuggle in two consignments but were caught before they could transport the third. Sources added that Pakistani handlers have been dropping these arms consignments close to the border fence for local sympathisers to collect.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jammu, Bhimsen Tuti, praised the police team for their efforts. In a post on X, he said, “Dogged determination and relentless investigation led to the arrest of 3 terror sympathisers, along with the recovery of 7 AKs and a large quantity of warlike stores in Poonch.”
T-60
— IGP Jammu (@igp_jammu) September 14, 2025
Fantastic investigation by JKP.
Dogged determination and relentless investigation leads to the arrest of 03 terror sympathisers, along with the recovery of 07 AKs (04 recovered earlier) and a large quantity of warlike stores in Poonch.@JmuKmrPolice pic.twitter.com/WcdjsqwBOl
Police believe the latest seizures have dealt a major blow to Hizbul Mujahideen’s attempts to regroup in the region.
The accused were reportedly working for Hizbul Mujahideen commander Habibullah, who had crossed into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the 1990s. According to police, he has recently become active again and was trying to revive Hizbul’s network in the Poonch area.
