Security forces detained a tourist at the Srinagar International Airport for questioning after they found live cartridges of an INSAS rifle in his bag.
According to the information received, around 6.30 am today, a tourist from Gujarat entered the airport to board Go First flight number G8-386 from Srinagar to Mumbai. When an X-ray machine-checked his luggage at booth number-5 at the drop gate of the airport, it was found that there were cartridges in one of his bags.
The security personnel took him into custody simultaneously and opened his bag. The bag contained a live cartridge of an INSAS rifle. Relevant sources said that the name of the tourist from whose bag the cartridge was found is Shailesh Kumar Pandya, and he is a resident of Navagam-2 Panchmahal, Gujarat. He had reached Srinagar on 26 April on IndiGo flight number 6E-6351 from Mumbai to visit Kashmir along with eight others.
During interrogation, he said that when he visited Gulmarg, he had picked up a cartridge of INSAS rifle lying in an unclaimed condition on the ground at one place there. Therefore, a case is being registered against him at Humhama Police Station, and further investigation is being done.
On Monday, the security forces found a live grenade from the bag of army personnel at the Srinagar airport itself. The accused army personnel was immediately taken into custody. Balaji Sompath, a jawan of Army’s 42 RR based in Awantipor Pulwama, South Kashmir, went to his home on leave today. He was about to board GoAir flight number-6E=5031/2061 from Srinagar to Chennai. When the soldiers stationed at the airport checked the luggage of Balaji Sampath, a resident of Vellore, Tamil Nadu, they came to know about a live grenade in one of his bags. When the bag was opened, there was a grenade in it.
Amish Mahajan
