JAMMU: Security forces have seized over 40 million rupees from militants in Jammu and Kashmir during the last 14 years, a government report has said.
As per the report on militancy compiled by the J&K Home Ministry, 4.14 crore rupees have been recovered from militants during the last 14 years in Jammu and Kashmir, the PTI reported.
Similarly, Pakistani rupees 4.27 lakh and 7,951 Afghanis were also seized from militants during the same period, it says.
Currencies from various countries worth Rs 2.50 lakh were also recovered during the same period.
While the largest cash seizure of Rs 1.27 crore was made by security personnel in 2003, the largest seizure of Pakistan currency was made in 2004 (Pakistani rupees 1.25).
Earlier in July a home ministry report said the quantity of arms and ammunition seized from militants fighting New Delhi’s rule during the last two decades was enough to raise an army larger than that of United Nations with its 150-member countries.
Security forces have also recovered more 33,000 guns, 11,500 pistols, 63,000 grenades, 2,262 rocket projectile guns, 2,830 rocket boosters, 70,071 AK magazines, 11,055 pistol magazines, 1321 UMG magazines, 150 LMG magazines, 31 carbine magazines and 32 telescopes since an anti-government insurgency broke out in 1989.
‘More?’
However observers say the amount of cash and the number of arms could be more than quoted in the report.
“Many a time the security forces or police would not declare the exact amount of the money or arms they seized,” said a senior journalist wishing not to be named.
“Recently there were also revelations about the police and army selling some explosives to civilians.”
On August 26 a soldier of the territorial army and a police constable were arrested for sale of arms through a go-between who was a militant.
This was for the third time this year that police or personnel of the security forces were arrested for subversive activities. Earlier Inspector General of Police, S.M Sahai had claimed to have solved over a dozen militant attacks in Srinagar over a period of 18 months with the arrest of a police constable besides a released militant.
Also Read: Arrested cops planned an attack in Kashmir
Constable Abdul Rashid Shigan alias Umar Mukhtar and Imtiyaz Ahmed Gojri were running the Islamic Movement of Kashmir, an independent militant group which is involved in the killing of four policemen, a political worker besides attacks on a minister, the civil secretariat and an Army camp in the city.
On June 16, Jammu and Kashmir police said it had arrested three constables, Mukhtar Sheikh, Mohammed Abbas and Riyaz Ahmed, for their alleged links with militants. Subsequently, another cop, Muhammad Illyass who was working with the investigation wing of the state police was also arrested on the same charges.
Also Read: Arrested Kashmir cop was ‘undercover agent’ who planted sims used by Mumbai attackers
Police claimed that the four constables were on a mission to orchestrate attacks to create chaos in the state, where, authorities say, militancy-related violence was on a decline. The top brass of the police have asked the intelligence officials to screen policemen who have had any links with the militants in the past.
Also Read: Kashmir Police chief orders screening of ‘dubious’ cops
