Shillong, Aug 23: A Search and Rescue team (SRT) of Meghalaya Fire and Emergency Services on Monday managed to retrieve the three rifles seized by local youth from Meghalaya Police personnel of Mawkynroh outpost on August 15.

The three rifles were fetched from the Umkhrah River beside the Umpohliew bridge connecting Jaiaw Laitdom and Mawlai.

Mentionably, an anonymous letter on August 20, 2021 evening had claimed that the rifles had been dumped in the river from the Umpohliew Bridge by locality elders when they saw teenage boys carrying the weapons at Lawmali area.

A team of 11 SRT personnel from Meghalaya Fire and Emergency Services started the search operation at around 11:30 AM at Wahumkhrah River below Umpohliew bridge in Shillong.

The whole operation took around one hour before the rifles in question were found. The team started their search near the bridge and went downstream, but returned to the starting point after being unable to locate the rifles. But, when they returned to the starting point, they found the rifles lodged right below the Umpohliew bridge.

The three rifles seemed rusty and one of the bullets was missing (which seemed like it was fired).

Reportedly, only one rifle had a magazine in it when they were seized.