PUNJAB: The timely intervention of the Border Security Force has resulted in preventing illegal arms to get into the hands of anti-national elements, as the BSF recovered a cache of assault weapons at the India-Pakistan border in Punjab, said the officials on Tuesday.

A senior BSF officer said that three AK47 rifles with six magazines, two M3 Rifles with four magazines and two pistols with two magazines in the Ferozepur sector early this morning. It appears that weapons have been smuggled from Pakistan.

"At around 07.10 am, during daily checking along the International Border (Indo-Pak Border), BSF troops of 182 Battalion Ferozepur Sector recovered two packets on a slope in the farm close to the border. The packets were wrapped in white coloured cloth. When the packet was opened by the patrolling team, they found two M-3 type rifles with four magazines, three AK - 47 type rifles with six magazines and two Pistols with four magazines," he added.

BSF has lodged a complaint in the matter to the Station house Officer (SHO) of the local Police Station Lakho ke Behram, District Ferozepur for registration of an FIR and also handed over the recovered items to the police station.

Earlier in another incident a huge cache of arms, ammunition and explosives, suspected to be hidden by the proscribed outfit Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), was recovered in Meghalaya's East Garo Hills district on August 13.

The arms and ammunition were recovered from the jungle of Pilgonggre area under Williamnagar police station.

According to a senior police official in the East Garo Hills district, an operation was started in the Pillongre area of the Durama range.

"On early Saturday, around 1:40 am, the operation team recovered a huge cache of arms ammunitions from Pillongre area which are suspected to have been hidden by GNLA Commander in chief Sohan D Shira who had died in police action," the police official said.

The police team recovered 79 rounds of Anti Aircraft live ammunition, 175 rounds of 7.7 live ammunition, 10 numbers of Electrical Detonators, one 12-bore Double Barrel and approximately 250 grams of Gelatin from the area.

Pillongre is about 15 to 17 km from Williamnagar.

Last year, BSF recovered one revolver (USA-made 0.32 mm calibre), 50 Nos of 7.62 mm rounds and 4 Nos Iron Magazine (supposed to be AK SVD Airsoft Sniper Rifles) from the forest near Chegnigre village under Rongra police station in South Garo Hills district hidden by GNLA.