Alert jawans of the Border Security Force (BSF) early Saturday morning shot down a GPS fitted drone which carried a payload of around 6 kgs including a US made M-4 semi automatic carbine, 7 Chinese grenades and sixty rounds packed in two magazines, along the International border in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district.
After repeated incidents of arms dropping via drone in Tarn Taran area of Punjab in September 2019, this is the first incident of arms dropping along the International border in Jammu region.
Inspector General of BSF, Jammu Frontier, NS Jamwal, who visited the border area along with senior officers told reporters, "BSF patrol party had first spotted movement of drone flying close to the International border around 5.10 a.m on saturday morning". He said, BSF jawans observed it for some time and later the party commander shot it down. Jamwal said the drone was at a height of about 150/200 feet inside Indian territory when it was shot down.
He said the drone had possibly taken off from the close vicinity of Thakurpura border outpost of Pakistani rangers,located in Shakargarh-Narowal area on the Pakistani side of the border.
On recovery it was found that it was a “Hexa copter (china made)” weighing about 17.5 Kgs. He said the BSF intelligence branch was receiving inputs about the possible use of drones for ferrying arms and ammunition from Pakistan into Indian side. Accordingly the troops were put on high alert and the border domination was exponentially increased and jawans were sensitized,he added. IG BSF NS Jamwal said, “it was a huge arms consignment and sufficient for carrying out any terrorist strike.
Director General of Police, Dilbagh Singh during his interaction with the media on June 8 had also dropped clear hints claiming attempts were being made by the terrorist operatives to supply arms and ammunition to their cadre and use of drones have been attempted. He, however, clarified that no such incident has come to light confirming the reports of arms dropping using drones from across the border.
According to the official sources, the arms consignment was meant to be airdropped inside the Indian territory from where it was expected to be ferried to a hideout of terrorists with the help of a network of over ground workers in the region.
In the past, truck drivers working as active OGW's of terror outfits have ferried armed infiltrators and arms consignment along the road link to Kashmir valley from the notorious Hiranagar sector.
The BSF IGP informed that the drone had a winch mechanism with which the entire consignment had to be dropped to this side and it had to fly back to Pakistan.