Foreign-made bullets found abandoned in Kollam

Express News Service |

Published: 23rd February 2020 06:44 AM

KOLLAM: As many as 14 foreign-made bullets were found abandoned on the roadside at Kulathupuzha in Kollam on Saturday. A probe has been launched by the police to trace the origin of the bullets. The seized cartridges reportedly carry an inscription ‘POF’ — unique to the ammo produced by the Pakistan Ordnance Factories.

Bullets found abandoned in Kollam, suspected to be of Pakistan make

Raising serious security concerns, 14 foreign-made bullets suspected to be manufactured in Pakistan were found abandoned on the roadside at Kulathupuzha in Kollam on Saturday afternoon. A high-level team led by Kollam Rural SP Hari Sankar visited the spot to investigate the situation. It is learnt that an intense probe has been launched by the police to trace the origin of the bullets.

The seized cartridges reportedly carry an inscription ‘POF’ — unique to the ammo produced by the Pakistan Ordnance Factories. It is suspected the bullets were made in the 1980s. “A total of 14 bullets were found disposed on the roadside. They were not Indian ammunition,” Kollam Rural SP Hari Sankar told TNIE. According to the police, the forensic and ballistic examinations of the bullets have already begun. The 7.62 mm bullets are those used in machine guns as per preliminary findings. The police have registered a case under the Arms Act.The bomb squad conducted a search in the area in the evening. It is suspected that the bullets were accidentally dropped from a moving vehicle.

According to the Kulathupuzha Police, the bullets were found abandoned on the roadside near the Muppathadi bridge on the Kulathupuzha-Madathara route by a group of truck drivers, who alerted the police. “The truckers were waiting for someone in the area around 2.45pm, when they spotted a half-open newspaper wrapping lying on the roadside. On closer examination, they found there were bullets inside,” they said.

60 cartridges seized at Kiliyanthara check post

Meanwhile, the Excise department arrested a 42-year-old man and seized 60 bullets from him at the Kiliyanthara excise check post around 3pm on Saturday. According to excise officials, the accused K Pramod of Machoor Mala, Thillankeri, was attempting to smuggle the bullets into Kerala from Virajpet by hiding them inside a car, when he got caught at the check post in Kiliyanthara. The 60 bullets seized from him are the type usually used in country rifles, said B Vishnu, Kiliyanthara Excise Inspector. The accused, along with the bullets and the car seized from his possession,were handed to the Iritty police. Preventive officers K Muhammad, P M Sajith Kumar, civil excise officers Haris and Praveen were also part of the squad.

