Drone from Pak carrying arms shot down
nJAMMU: A China-made drone sent from Pakistan with arms and ammunition was shot down by the Border Security Force (BSF) along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Saturday, officials said.
Troops were put on high alert after the BSF intelligence branch received inputs about the possible use of drone for ferrying arms and ammunition from Pakistan into the Indian side, according to officials.
“At 5.10am, BSF shot down a China-made drone from Pakistan near Kathua and recovered, among others, M-4 Us-made semi-automatic rifle, 60 rounds in two magazines and seven M67 grenades,” said NS Jamwal, inspector general, BSF Jammu Frontier.
The drone (8 ft × 6.2 ft) having four batteries weighed around 17.5 kilograms and the consignment around five to six kilograms, Jamwal said. “Surely, it was an attempt to deliver the arms and ammunition to someone here on this side. Who was he, remains a matter of investigation,” he said.
He added that the drone came from Thakurpora post in Narowal–shakargarh sector in Pakistan.
A senior police officer who did not want to be named said the delivery was for some “Ali Bhai” as the payload was carrying his name.
Jamwal said the payload was for carrying out a big terror attack and “we feel that the contact was probably waiting on Indian side...”
“This is the biggest achievement and averted a major incident… We are alert to the situation and keeping an eye on ‘aakash’ (sky), ‘zameen’ (land) and ‘paataal’ (subterranean) activities,” Jamwal, who rushed to the Hiranagar sector, told reporters.
“It is a big challenge, but security forces are ready for it. We have had inputs that such hexacopters can be used for dropping arms and ammunition. Our jawans were already on alert and that’s why they shot it down immediately,” he said.