NIA to probe Punjab weapons drop case

A team has reached Amritsar

New Delhi: Investigations into recent incidents of drones being used by Pakistan to drop weapons in Punjab has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency. An NIA team has already reached Amritsar for further investigations into the case.

Investigations into recent incidents of drones, being used by Pakistan to drop weapons in Punjab, has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency. Home ministry sources, while confirming the move said considering the sensitive nature of case which has national security ramifications, it was decided to hand over the probe to NIA. A team from agency has already reached Amritsar for further investigations into the case.

The new and unique modus operandi being adopted by some Pakbased terror elements, backed by Pak intelligence agency ISI, came to light after the Punjab plice busted a terror module operating in border areas of Punjab. Investigations revealed that drones were used to drop sophisticated weapons like AK-47, satellite phones, grenades and other arms and ammunition in Rajoke village in the Tarn Taran area which is close to the Indo-Pak border.

Subsequent probe further revealed that these weapons were dropped by drones which were fitted with sophisticated GPS to drop the weapons at the exact designated spot. After dropping the weapons the drones would return to Pakistan. Most of the weapons were dropped late at night. However, on one occasion, a drone developed a technical snag and failed to fly back to Pakistan.

Some pro-Khalistan operatives tried to destroy this drone, which apparently had Chinese markings, by burning it. But Punjab police managed to recover the partially burnt drone along with a large consignment of weapons following disclosure by the accused persons. It was then that this new modus operandi adopted by Pak-based terror operatives came to light.