Huge arms haul, city on red-alert

Alert in Bangalore after arms haul

The Hindu

BANGALORE, MARCH 7. A day after the Delhi Police announced the unearthing of a terrorist plot to target information technology (IT) firms here, the Bangalore Police said today that three country-made pistols, a carbine and 149 rounds of live ammunition were found abandoned at the Cantonment railway station here. The police said the two developments might be unrelated, but the Bangalore Police Commissioner, S. Mariswamy, today declared a state of alert in the city.

Armed Border Security Force personnel were posted at the Bangalore City and Cantonment railway stations by this afternoon. Later, police pickets were posted outside major IT firms too. However, there was no perceptible anxiety among people in the city: life went on as usual.

The seizure

The State Railway Police seized the arms, packed in two bags, last evening, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (Railways), M.V. Murthy, told presspersons on Monday.

A passenger, who arrived by the Brindavan Express from Chennai or the Karnataka Express from New Delhi that stopped at the station between 1.30 p.m. and 2.15 p.m., could have left the bags there, he said. Five large knives with scabbards, clothes of men and women and an Urdu magazine were also found in the bags. Mr. Murthy said the weapons could have been made in Jharkhand or Bihar. They were wrapped in a newspaper printed and published from Jharkhand.

He said the police were yet to ascertain who had brought the weapons.

The Railway Police had, on March 4, arrested Sanjay Singh of Jharkhand at Londa Railway Station in Belgaum district and seized from him three country-made pistols. Sanjay Singh had told the police that he was carrying the three Jharkand-made weapons for sale in Goa, Mr. Murthy said. After his arrest the police had tightened vigil at all railway stations in the State.

Special team

A special team has been constituted under the leadership of the Deputy Superintendent of Police, M. Krishnappa, to probe the latest case and the team will visit Jharkand and Bihar, he said.

The seized ammunition is of 9 mm, 7.65 mm and .32 mm bore. The .32 mm is a prohibited bore and is used only by security officials. The three pistols had an etching: "Made in USA." Informed sources in the Bangalore Police said they suspect the weapons were meant for delivery to the underworld here. Mr.Mariswamy told The Hindu that his officers had been told to be on alert and vigilance had been tightened at vital installations, the airport, railway stations and bus terminals. "We have no additional information other than newspaper reports. Once we get the details from the Delhi Police, we will plan our action," he said.