Four years after the tragic events of January 2022, law enforcement agencies continue to uncover illegally concealed weapons. A convicted individual helped lead authorities to a weapons cache located in Almaty.

– As a result of operational information obtained during work with a convicted person, officers of the operational department of Institution No. 22 of the Penitentiary System Committee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in coordination with the Specialised Prosecutor's Office and the 5th Directorate of the National Security Committee Department for the East Kazakhstan Region, discovered a cache containing weapons and ammunition in the Nauryzbay District of Almaty. According to preliminary data, the discovered stash may have been set up during the January 2022 events and remained unknown to law enforcement for a long time, – reported the Penitentiary System Department for the East Kazakhstan Region.

During the inspection, a smooth‑bore shotgun and ammunition were seized, and the weapons have been sent for forensic ballistics examination. Currently, investigative and operational-search measures are being conducted to determine the origin of the weapons and identify those involved in their concealment.

– Even after years, operational work continues to yield results. Information obtained during work with convicted individuals often helps solve crimes from past years, uncover weapons caches, and prevent potential threats to public safety, – commented Saltanat Ozhikanova, official spokesperson for the Penitentiary System Department for the East Kazakhstan Region.

According to her, this once again confirms the importance of the daily work of penitentiary system officers in cooperation with other law enforcement agencies.

Olga SIZOVA,
Staff Correspondent of "YUG" for the East Kazakhstan Region
Photo: Penitentiary System Department for the East Kazakhstan Region