This story is from February 18, 2020

No rifles missing: Kerala crime branch after verification

A physical verification by police has found that no guns allotted to the state armed police battalion are missing as reported by the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) in its report tabled in the assembly last week.
No rifles missing: Kerala crime branch after verification
ADGP Crime Branch Tomin Thachankery (right) inspects 660 INSAS rifles brought from 13 locations (PTI)
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A physical verification by police has found that no guns allotted to the state armed police battalion are missing as reported by the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) in its report tabled in the assembly last week.
As many as 647 INSAS automatic rifles of the total 660 rifles with the state armed police battalion were displayed and physically counted by a crime branch team here on Monday.
The remaining 13 rifles issued to the India Reserve Battalion (IRB) are being used by IRB recruits who are training with the BSF in Manipur.
The CAG had found a shortage of 25 INSAS rifles and 12,061 live cartridges from Special Armed Police battalion, Thiruvananthapuram.
Crime branch chief Tomin J Thachankary and IG S Sreejith led the physical verification of rifles on Monday.
Examined all rifles: CB chief
Thachankary said the body number of each rifle was physically examined and verified with records, after which it was concluded that no guns were missing. “We also held a video conference and their body numbers (of guns in Manipur) were checked and matched with records. When the police personnel return from their training in March, it will be examined once again,” he said.
On missing cartridges, Thachankary said an investigation was on and it would be completed in two months. He said the immediate custodians of the ammunition as well as higher-ups would be made answerable for any lapse.

Meanwhile, the armed police battalion also conducted an independent assessment of weapons and submitted a report to the state police chief. The report of DIG (armed police battalions) P Prakash, accessed by TOI, said the 25 rifles had been handed over to AR Camp, Thiruvananthapuram, on the request of deputy commandant of the camp for allotting automatic rifles to the quick response team of IG, Thiruvananthapuram range.
“There are no INSAS rifles missing from those allocated to SAP and each and every rifle has been physically verified and accounted by us. The whole issue of missing INSAS rifles had happened due to refusal by the CAG team to account for the 25 rifles transferred temporarily from SAP to Thiruvananthapuram city on February 14, 2011, despite records being shown to it,” it said.
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