POLICE BUY ARMS WORTH 700,000 KUNA FROM ZAGREB RESIDENTS

ZAGREB, Nov 7 (Hina) - Croatian police said on Thursday they had bought arms and explosive devices worth 700,000 kuna (nearly DM 200,000) from residents of Zagreb since the beginning of this year. About 600 automatic rifles, 50 machine guns, 200 home-made guns, 80 rocket launchers and a large amount of hand grenades had been bought as part of a weapons purchase plan, police told a news conference in Zagreb. The explosive devices included 19,328 pieces of live ammunition, five kilograms of gunpowder, 127 kg of military and industrial explosive, and 324 metres of fuse. The purchase price of an automatic rifle is 1,100 kuna (about DM 360) while faulty rifles are 20 per cent cheaper. Police said the action would last until January 1 next year. (hina) vm jn 071630 MET nov 96