By A Correspondent- A Gweru farmer on Monday stumbled on a plastic bag with three AK47 assault rifles on a plot on the outskirts of Gweru.

Gweru police have since requested help from the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) bomb disposal unit and army engineers to inspect the bag.

Mr Malvin Chimwe (40) of Mkoba 14 was digging on a small plot along the Lower Gweru Road when his hoe hit the pack of three AK47s assault riffles stashed in a plastic bag underground. He said:

At first, I thought my long and sharpened hoe had ripped into debris of some sort, but when I swung the hoe a second time I realised there were metal objects.

Mr Chimwe said he was frightened when he then realised that his hoe had hit some dangerous weapons and quickly dashed to an elderly man a stone throw away.

The elderly man confirmed that Chimwe had stumbled upon guns. Chimwe then made a report at Nehanda Police Station in Mkoba.

Mr Chimwe said police came and sealed off the area and sought the services of army experts.

A police source close to investigations said the army bomb disposal experts and engineers discovered that in addition to the AK47 assault rifles, there were also four fully charged AK 47 magazines, again hidden underground.

The AK47 rifles were rusty, a sign that shows that they had been hidden underground probably for more than 5 years.

Similarly, the four fully charged AK47 magazines were also looking old and were wrapped in a plastic material.

While some in the area wondered if the weapons had been hidden during the liberation war, police sources said there was a possibility that the weapons could have been used and abandoned by armed robbers.