In the early 1980s, a mysterious event unfolded in An Yang, Henan Province, China. An armory in Lin County (now renamed Linzhou City) was robbed, with 500 weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition vanishing overnight. To date, the reason behind this theft remains an enigma.
A shooting competition sets the stage
In 1982, led by the Henan Provincial Military District, a live ammunition shooting competition was organized. Militias from across the province gathered in Lin County for this event. The Lin County Armed Department had built an ammunition depot in a sparsely populated area to store weapons and ammunition for militia training. A nearby mass grave site was also converted into new shooting ranges.
An unsettling occurrence on the eve
On the night of June 19th, just a day before the live ammunition exercise, something very peculiar happened. A sentry, while patrolling around the weapons warehouse with his gun, suddenly felt weak. He experienced dizziness and collapsed beside the warehouse, losing consciousness. When he awoke around 5 a.m., he discovered his weapon and ammunition had disappeared. Immediately reporting to his squad leader, it soon reached the Armed Department head. The department head then discovered his own firearm, which he kept under his pillow, was also mysteriously gone. This frightened him and he broke out in cold sweat. Given the severity of the situation, he reported it up the chain of command.
The investigation begins
Upon receiving this urgent report, the commander of the Henan Provincial Military District initially suspected sabotage. He immediately ordered a lockdown of the Lin County area, sending in nearby stationed troops and personally investigating the incident. But upon opening the ammunition depot, they were flabbergasted — 500 rifles and 6,000 rounds of ammunition had vanished without a trace.
In the midst of the ensuing chaos, the guard company captain accompanying the commander reported that after arriving at the location, all 50 of their personal weapons and ammunition were also inexplicably gone. Even the commander’s own sidearm disappeared mysteriously. It became clear that this was not a mere act of sabotage.
Rapid response and dead ends
A temporary command post swiftly locked down the scene, restricting everyone present from leaving or communicating with the outside. The incident was promptly reported to the Wuhan Military District, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of Public Security.
After an hour-long emergency meeting, a special task force composed of public security departments sealed off population movement within a 300-mile radius spanning several counties in Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi provinces. Despite employing various modern investigative techniques, no leads or clues were found.
Lingering mysteries
The incident came to be known as the An Yang paranormal event. No conclusion has been reached to date, with some even speculating it to be the work of extraterrestrials.
Translated by: Chua BC
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