JAJARKOT, Sept 26: A large stockpile of ammunition of modern weapons, possibly from insurgency era, has been found in Khalanga-Dolpa road section of Jajarkot district on Monday.
According to the police, as many as 580 rounds of bullets were found in the forest of Thaplechaur in the district headquarters Khalanga. Some locals who had gathered to observe the construction of the road section first saw some bullets scattered here and there. After being informed of the discovery, the police was able to unearth a large number of bullets buried underground.
“We recovered three rounds of bullets used in Chinese pistol, nine rounds of INSAS Rifle bullets, and 568 rounds of bullets for AK 47 rifle,” informed Police Inspector Hikmat Bahadur Bohora, acting police chief of District Police Office (DPO), Jajarkot.
As the bullets are in rusted condition, the police suspect that Maoist combatants must have left them behind during the insurgency. However, Pratap GC, a leader of CPN (Maoist Center), refuted the police's claim, stating that those bullets may belong to the Nepalese Army (NA).
“We were careful not to leave our bullets and weapons behind during the insurgency. It is possible that those bullets may have belonged to the NA,” said GC.
Maoist combatants frequently carried out assaults against the police and the NA stationed at the district headquarters. GC suspects that the NA must have fled one of those attacks leaving the bullets behind.
Inspector Bohora suspected that there may be weapons and explosive materials hidden away at other places in the area.
“Just like the bullets, we suspect that weapons and explosives may be hidden in the area,” he added.
The recovery of a large number of bullets in the district headquarters has spread fears among the residents, said Badri Pant, a local.
Weapons hidden away by the Maoist combatants were recovered from two other places in the district in the past.
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[Janak KC/Republica
Police scraping the ground at the site where a cache of rusting ammunination was found, on a roadside in Khalanga, the headquarters of Jajarkot district on Monday. Police found 580 rounds of rusting bullets from the site. Police suspect the ammuniation could be from the insurgency period.]
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) has said detailed investigation is ongoing into the seizure of ammunition of modern weapons in Jajarkot district.
Bal Krishna Panthi, the spokesperson at the MoHA, informed that the bullets found in a jungle of Thaplechaur, Jajarkot are in rusted state and are not usable.
"Nepal Police has started investigation. As the bullets are found in rusted condition, there is suspicion that the bullets were left behind during the Maoist insurgency," said Panthi.
"As the investigation is going on, we cannot say anything concrete now. The ministry is taking updates regarding the incidents," he added.
As many as 580 rounds of bullets were found scattered in the forest of Thaplechaur in district headquarters Khalanga.
