Gunpowder recovered in Kathua village | Investigation underway: Police

Jammu, Mar 5: Police Tuesday recovered gunpowder wrapped in a polythene in Panj Grain Muthi Charu village of Hiranagar along the International Border (IB) in Kathua district.

A police spokesperson said that an information was received this morning at the Hiranagar Police Station from the Border Police Post (BPP) Sherpur regarding a suspicious polythene packet found in Panj Grain Muthi Charu village of tehsil Hiranagar.

“Upon receiving the information, the Special Operations Group (SOG) team, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Ops Kathua, promptly arrived at the location. Additionally, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Border along with SHO Hiranagar also joined the efforts. Following inspection, it was determined that the polythene packet contained gunpowder commonly used by farmers to protect their crops from wild animals,” the spokesperson said.

He said that the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) Kathua team was called to verify the contents and it too confirmed that it was for agricultural use.

“The gunpowder was then safely disposed of at the location. Local residents further confirmed the authenticity of the substance, stating it was regularly used by farmers for crop protection against wildlife,” the spokesperson said.

The police, in its official statement, however, refuted the “possibility of infiltration or the dropping of high-density explosives across the border.” “Further investigation is under process,” the police added.

“The people were asked to remain vigilant even in future and immediately inform police in case they notice any suspicious object, material or activity so that the police and other security agencies could immediately take desired action,” said a police officer, while speaking to the media, after gunpowder was disposed of.