China-made drones used to drop weapons in Punjab: Officials

China-made drones, capable of carrying a 10 kg payload each, made at least eight sorties this month to drop weapons, counterfeit currency and communications equipment across the heavily-guarded international border in once-militant hotbed Punjab, an intelligence official said on Wednesday.

The weapons belonged to Pakistan-based Khalistani terror groups. The sorties, first of their kind in the state, were made between September 9 and 16, the official associated the state's counter-intelligence wing, which is investigating the incident, told IANS.

Terrorist Akashdeep Singh, who has been arrested in this connection, has confessed that he was in touch with Pakistan-based terrorist Ranjeet Singh Neeta on the arms drops, said the official, requesting anonymity.

Police have also recovered a drone, the last one, that crashed in the Indian territory. It was fitted with high-end technology and GPS.

Three days ago, in a major crackdown on terror, the police busted a module of the revived Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), the Pakistanbacked, Germany-based militant group that was conspiring to unleash a series of terrorist strikes in Punjab and adjoining states, especially Jammu and Kashmir.

A cache of arms, including five AK-47 rifles, and other material was also seized in the raid in border Tarn Taran district.

Given the international links and the ramifications of the conspiracy, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has decided to hand over further investigations in the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to ensure that the entire conspiracy is fully and expeditiously unraveled.

He also sought Union Home Minister Amit Shah's intervention.

"Recent incidents of Pakistan-origin drones dropping consignments of arms & ammunition is a new and serious dimension on Pakistan's sinister designs in aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370.