As reported by Polisia.kz, during the unrest, 2,960 units of service and civilian firearms were stolen.
“In the past three years, approximately 8,000 units of firearms and traumatic weapons, 831 grenades, and over 112,000 rounds of various calibers have been seized as a result of operational activities, searches, and raids. Additionally, 722 weapons caches have been discovered. The ownership of 1,226 units of firearms stolen in January has been established. Investigations are ongoing for the remaining 6,765 units due to the destruction of registration numbers,” said the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs department, Shyngys Alekeshov.
In January of this year, a cache was found in Shymkent, near a cemetery, where four smoothbore shotguns and ammunition were seized, some of which had been stolen from a gun shop in Almaty. In the Kostanay region, three Kalashnikov assault rifles were found in the basement of a previously convicted resident. A criminal case has been initiated, and the suspect is in the temporary detention facility.
“The work on identifying and seizing illegal weapons continues on a regular basis,” emphasized Shyngys Alekeshov.