More than 50 boxes of abandoned ammunition,landmines recovered in Rameswaram

Preliminary reports said a fisherman, identified as Edison, found iron boxes containing cartridges, while digging a drainage pit in the backyard of his house in the evening.

The arms and weapons that were unearthed included light machine guns and grenades.

Inspector General of Police, South Zone, KP Shanmuga Rajeswaran along with Ramanathapuram Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Meena examined the spot and held inquiries.

Om Prakash Meena said 19 boxes containing 4,750 bullets of light machine guns, 2,100 bullets of AK-47 guns, 400 bullets meant for mini rocket launchers and some grenades were unearthed.

The boxes, each containing about 100 rounds, were in a highly corroded state and were suspected to have been buried a long time ago, Om Prakash Meena told the media.

About 15 grenades, five hand grenades, two detonator coils and 35 slabs have been found so far. The digging operation was still under way. The seized arms and ammunitions would be sent to the ballistics lab for further examination.

Two teams of Bomb Detection and Disposal squads from Madurai and Ramanathapuram range were also inspecting the spot to check if there was any live round of ammunition. The teams were also conducting checks in the surrounding areas, Shanmuga Rajeswaran said.

Shanmuga Rajeswaran said they suspected it could have been left behind by members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Some LTTE members had reportedly camped in the area in the 1980s during the outfit’s war against the Sri Lankan government.