Drones from Pak side new challenge to security agencies

Two such flying machines were spotted on the Indian side in Dera Baba Nanak sector in last week of September

CHANDIGARH: Sighting of drones from Pakistan side along the international border (IB) has increased in the past couple of months with the Punjab Police and the BSF detecting two such flying machines on the Indian side in Dera Baba Nanak sector in the last week of September.

Even as the Punjab Police had last year busted a few modules, exposing how Pakistan was using drones to push weapons and drugs into India by dropping consignments in different parts of Punjab, the sighting of drones, as per a senior intelligence wing official of the Punjab Police, is now more frequent, posing a fresh challenge to the security agencies.

“In one such case in Dera Baba Nanak sector, the BSF

even tried to gun down the drone but it survived and retreated. The purpose is not clear as the agencies are yet to make a recovery. Central agencies are being alerted from time to time as some drones had crossed over to our side as well,” the official said.

As per the data with the Punjab Police intelligence wing, at least 10 drone movements were noticed along the international border this year, most of them during the night time.

Till last year, movement of drones from Pakistan side was a rare sight.

In September last year, the Punjab Police had busted a module of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) which was receiving weapons from across the border using drones with the help of Pakistan agencies.

The Punjab Police probe has found that China-made drones were being used to drop weapons in different locations in Punjab. National Investigating Agency (NIA) is now conducting a probe in this case.

Punjab Police chief Dinkar Gupta said the increase in movement of drones from Pakistan along the border has posed a fresh challenge for the security agencies and all are working in tandem to look into the various aspects of this trend.

“I am personally in touch with the ADGP BSF and a meeting of Punjab ADGP (law and order) and BSF officials will take place in the coming days to discuss this issue,” said Gupta. Not only in Punjab, there were reports about increase in movement of drones in Jammu and Kashmir as well, he said.