Kolkata, Oct 15 — A youth from Manipur was apprehended near the India-Nepal border by troops of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) with a live round of ammunition.
While the young man has claimed that he had found the bullet near his house and kept it with him, the police are in touch with authorities in Manipur to check his antecedents.
The incident occurred during a routine check by the Border Intelligence Team of the SSB on the New Bridge that connects Panitanki in West Bengal to Kakarvitta in Nepal. An ambulance moving towards Nepal was stopped and checked about 350 metres from the border.
During baggage screening, the 9mm live round was detected and seized from the bag of Paogoulun Haokip, aged 20 years, a resident of Moreh, Tengnoupal, Manipur.
The bullet had the markings - 9mm 2Z KF 20 - indicating that it was produced by the ammunition factory in Kirkee, near Pune in Maharashtra. This prohibited-bore ammunition is issued to the police and other security forces.
"During interrogation, Haokip stated that he was travelling with his family from Manipur to Kakarvitta, Nepal, for his father's treatment at Mechi Eye Hospital. When asked about the bullet, he said that he had found it lying on the ground about three months ago and kept it in his possession since. He claimed that he was unaware of its presence in his bag," a senior SSB official said.
Moreh in Tengnoupal, Manipur, is on the border with Myanmar. The area is a hotbed of militant activity. The state has been witnessing severe ethnic violence for more than three years now. Several militant outfits have taken part in the clashes that resulted in over 300 deaths.
Thousands of weapons, along with ammunition, have also been looted from police armouries. Some of them have been recovered, but a lot remains untraced.
"At the moment, we are not assuming anything. All details are being sent to authorities in Manipur to check his background. Even if what he says is true, he is liable to be prosecuted for possessing a live bullet without proper documents," the official said.
He said that the youth would have got into very serious trouble had the bullet been found by authorities in Nepal, which has strict gun laws.
He said that people should never keep such items in their possession, even if they find them lying around. They should inform the police immediately. Even if they pick up something of this sort casually, they should hand it to the police.
A few days ago, the SSB troops at Panitanki had apprehended a Sikkim resident who was trying to enter Nepal with a licenced .32 bore pistol, 49 rounds of ammunition and an empty casing.
Officials had then said that people should never attempt to enter another country with a firearm, even if it has a valid licence in India. Such weapons are to be declared and deposited at the customs check post.