Police recover arms, explosives from goods truck at LoC
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has busted a plot of Pakistan-based terrorists to launch attacks, recovering arms and ammunition from a truck carrying goods at LoC. The cross LoC trade on Chakothi-Uri border has been under radar of intelligence and security agencies and terrorists are reportedly using the trade of almonds to push fake Indian currency notes, arms into India.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has busted a big plot of Pakistan-based terrorists to launch attacks in the Valley. The police recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition concealed in a truck carrying goods from Chakoti, Muzafarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir or PoK. The incident comes six months after the Uri attack in which 17 soldiers were martyred.The cross LoC trade on Chakoti-Uri border has been under radar of intelligence and security agencies. According to intel reports, terror masterminds are using the trade of almonds at the LoC to push fake Indian currency notes, arms into Indian side of the border. Acting on specific inputs, J&K Police nabbed a truck driver, who had gone to Chakoti for delivery of goods to PoK, from Kulgam. The driver named Irshad Ahmad Mantoo returned with arms and ammunitions meant to be transferred to terrorist operating in the Valley. The arms were concealed in a cavity designed specially inside the truck. NIA which is investigating cross loC trade is sending a team to URI, after arrest of a truck driver smuggling arms. NIA will grill mantoo with regards to the case of terror funding. "On a specific information about some arms and ammunition being smuggled across LoC through some goods truck meant to carry Cross-LoC trade merchandise, a naka was put by Baramulla Police in Uri area. The incoming goods-laden trucks which had gone to Chakoti area of PoK were searched and arms and ammunition were recovered," DIG North Kashmir Nitish Kumar told India Today.The driver of the truck (JK03B 1586) Mantoo has been arrested under various sections of Ranbir Penal Code and  Unlawful Activities Prevention Act has been registered at Uri police station. Further investigation into the matter is on. HOW TERROR GROUPS ARE USING ALMOND TRADE FOR SMUGGLING ARMS In December 2016, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had registered a large scale transfer of funds from Pakistan to India through the import of California Almonds (badam giri) via the Cross-LoC trade mechanism through the Trade Facilitation Centres (TFCs) located at Salamabad, Uri, District Baramulla and Chakkan-da-Bagh in Poonch district. This is in gross violation of the State policy of prohibition on trade in 'third-party origin goods' through this mechanism and information indicated that these funds are being used for fomenting terrorism and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir. There are an estimated 400 traders and 300 traders on both designated trading Centres. At least 50 of them are currently under scrutiny.The routes were opened as part of confidence building measures between India and Pakistan and also to boost direct trade between Jammu and Kashmir and PoK in 2008. The cross-LoC trade is duty-free bartertrade. But only those items can be brought in or sent that are produced in either in Jammu and Kashmir or PoK.(With inputs from Ashraf Wani in Srinagar) ALSO READ:  