Another Pak drone spotted in Ferozepur, 2nd in 2 days

FEROZEPUR: A suspected Pakistani drone was spotted flying in two villages in the Indian territory along the India-Pakistan border in the Hussainiwala area in Punjab’s Ferozepur district late on Tuesday, security officials said. This was the second incident in two days.

The drone’s first sighting was reported at Hazarasingh Wala village at 7.20pm and later at Tendiwala village at 10.10pm, said officials. Villagers captured pictures and made videos of the drone on their cellphones.

On Monday night too, Border Security Force (BSF) spotted a drone five times between 10pm and 10.40pm at the Hussainiwala joint check post area. The unmanned aerial vehicle was seen four-time on the Pakistan side while it entered into the Indian territory once, up to about 1km near border outpost of HK Tower area, adjoining Hussainiwala, said officials.

The latest sightings come a fortnight after Punjab Police on September 24 recovered a halfburnt drone from an abandoned field near the border at Chabhal town in Tarn Taran district that was used for smuggling weapons from Pakistan.

The drone was recovered following interrogation of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) terror module members.

The module was busted on September 22 with the arrest of four persons from Chola Sahib village in Tarn Taran with a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including five AK-47 rifles and hand grenades, satellite phones and fake currency.

These weapons were smuggled from Pakistan with the help of drones.

Investigations so far suggest that several Pakistan-based terrorist groups are engaged in smuggling weapons into India since August, post abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir.

The BSF and police have already launched a search operation in the Hussainiwala area. “On the basis of BSF report, a search operation was launched in the border area on Tuesday night to check if the drone dropped arms, ammunition or drugs in the Indian territory,” Ferozepur superintendent of police (SP operations) Baljeet Singh Sidhu said.

“Besides the search operation, we are sensitising border residents to stay alert and inform police,” the SP said.

THE LATEST SIGHTINGS COME A FORTNIGHT AFTER POLICE ON SEPT 24 RECOVERED A HALF-BURNT DRONE IN TARN TARAN