Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday claimed to have recovered a huge cache of explosive material from a forest area in Awantipora tehsil of south Kashmir's Pulwama district.
In a statement, a police spokesman said that acting on a tip-off, the local police unit along with the Indian Army's 42 RR and 130 BN CRPF, conducted a joint search operation near Gadikal village.
In the joint search operation, a dug-in plastic tank was spotted in Karewa area. On detailed search, a total of 52 kilograms of explosive were recovered - 416 packets of explosives weighing 125 grams each.
Subsequently, on further search in another such plastic tank, 50 detonators were recovered.
The location in Karewa is very close to the National Highway and in the general area where the deadly Pulwama attack of 2019 took place.
The police said that with the recovery of such huge amount of explosives, the security forces have averted a major militant attack.
Earlier this week, the Indian Army had recovered over 40 kg of explosives in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district.
On a specific information, the Army troops launched a search operation and raided a house of one Khalil in Dewal village of Malhar belt in Billawar tehsil, an officer said. As Khalil's wife saw the approaching troops, she tried to take the two bags carrying gunpowder explosives out of the house but was caught, he said.
The bags weighing 20 kg each were seized, he added. The Army was keeping a close watch on the activities of Khalil for some time, the officer said.
Earlier this month, a major tragedy was averted when the security forces detected and defused an improvised explosive device (IED) planted by militants in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district.
Police said an IED planted by the militants was detected by police and the army in the Arampora area of Kupwara district.
