Jammu & Kashmir Police seized two improvised explosive devices, 11 hand grenades, a multi‑grenade launcher, two AK rifles and a host of detonators and wires from a natural cave beneath a boulder in Sopore. The cache also included a blue plastic barrel and a bag, hidden under a rock face in the Mukaam Cherhar forests.
An intelligence‑driven operation launched by the Bomai Police Station led officers to the cave, where a Bomb Disposal Squad was called in to safely neutralise the explosives. The squad verified the presence of remote‑control mechanisms and Y‑SMS sets, raising alarms about the potential for pre‑planned attacks.
The incident is now registered as FIR No. 66/2026 under Sections 13, 18, 20 and 23 of the UAPA, Sections 7/25 of the Arms Act and Section 5 of the Explosive Substances Act. Police say the recovered MGL bears the same markings seen in TRF propaganda posters.
Local villagers reported seeing the police sweep the area early this morning, noting the sudden silence after the operation. Authorities are combing the surrounding forest for additional caches and tracing the supply chain of the weaponry.
Investigators will now conduct forensic analysis of the explosives and interrogate potential perpetrators. A court hearing is scheduled for next week to decide on the case’s progression under the UAPA.
The discovery underscores the persistent threat of unexploded ordnance in the region and the need for ongoing surveillance of forested areas near populated zones.