india

Updated: Jan 26, 2020 03:19 IST

Investigations by the Jammu & Kashmir Police (JKP) into seven grenade attacks on Indian security forces since the nullification of Article 370 last August have revealed a link between the terror strikes -- they were all Chinese-made grenades, and four of their levers had the same serial numbers -- according to people familiar with the matter.

This has led the investigators to conclude that a consignment of Chinese ordnance used by the Pakistan Army was smuggled into the Valley across the Line of Control (LoC), the people added.

Officials from JKP and North Block, who asked not to be named, said that grenades with the same series of Chinese levers (86P/01-03/632) were used in four attacks in Srinagar district. The lever (or safety handle) falls off when the pin is pulled before hurling a grenade.

The officials cited above said that use of Chinese-made grenades in Pakistan-backed terror ops was evident from the fact that 23 grenades and 17 AK-series rifles seized by Punjab Police since August 2019 were dropped using Chinese-made drones across the international border. Punjab Police has busted eight modules and arrested 41 alleged terrorists post August 2019.

Over the past five months, Punjab Police has also seized 221kg of pure Afghan heroin smuggled across the border from Pakistan. The officials added that the drugs were being used to fund terror strikes against India.

The use of Chinese grenades is a change from the past, when the Arges grendade, manufactured by an Austrian firm, was used in major attacks in India – including the 2008 Mumbai strike, the 1993 Mumbai blasts and the 2001 Parliament attack. The Wah Cantonment Ordnance factory in Rawalpindi held had a franchise to manufacture the high-explosive Arges hand grenades. The officials said with the collaboration now discontinued, the Pakistan Army was relying on Chinese weapons and ordnance.

A retired Indian Army general told HT that same series of Chinese grenade levers shows that Pakistan was trying to “orchestrate violence in Kashmir post the August 5 reorganisation of J&K and that consignments of rifles and ordnances have been smuggled to put the plan into action”.

On Saturday, four overground workers of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were apprehended by security forces in Bandipora. The recoveries, according to the forces, included two under-barrel grenade launchers, four UBL grenades, two pistols, 10 AK-47 magazines, and 312 AK rounds.