Grenades and ammunition found in buried jerry can

JAKARTA (JP): A local Karawang resident found two active grenades, a Mauser pistol and 493 bullets, hidden in a jerry can, buried in the Talikalapa hamlet of Telukjambe, Karawang, West Java, on Monday.

Karawang Police said that ammunition and explosives were discovered by Amin as he was digging in order to clean a septic tank. The huge jerry can was hidden 20 centimeters deep into the ground, Antara reported.

The jerry can was filled with plastic packages containing the ammunition and pistol.

The two active grenades and the firearms were reportedly stained when they were found.

Police said the bullets themselves were of seven types, including AK 47 guns.

The finding shocked Anim, who immediately alerted local residents and police.

Police have alerted residents across the country to report any suspicious finds, including grenades and ammunition.

Depok Police arrested five men, for the alleged possession of hand grenades and hundreds of bullets, in different locations in Greater Jakarta last week.

The police linked the finding with separatist rebels in Aceh following intelligence reports that the men had taken out an order for the purchase of 2,000 M-16 bullets, grenades and bullets to be brought to the volatile province.

Earlier in February, the Jakarta Police special crimes detection unit (Tipiter) arrested two men in connection with the discovery of 1,669 small explosive devices in a warehouse in Penjaringan, North Jakarta.

The explosives were imported from a Chinese factory and had arrived in Jakarta by sea.

Despite the fact that no link has been found as yet between the explosives and the recent nationwide wave of bomb blasts, police said there was a significant possibility that these explosives -- which bear "extremely dangerous" hazard warnings -- were brought illegally into Indonesia in order to be "doctored" by experts. (ylt)