BSF intercepts fifth Pak drone in four days along IB in Punjab

Jalandhar, May 23 (PTI) The Border Security Force intercepted a fifth Pakistani drone in four days that intruded into India from along the International Border (IB) in Punjab to drop a drugs consignment, a force spokesperson said on Tuesday.

The flying object was “downed” around 9 pm on Monday in the Amritsar sector in Bhaini Rajputana village of Amritsar district, he said.

The BSF recovered the black-coloured drone, a quadcopter of ‘DJ Matrice 300 RTK’ make, with an attached payload of 2.1 kilogram suspected heroin attached through an iron ring, the spokesperson said.

A small torch in switched-on condition was also found attached to the drone so that drugs smugglers could detect the consignment and pick it up from the field on the Indian side, he said.

This is the fifth reported interception of a “rogue” unmanned aerial vehicle along the Punjab border since May 19.

A few more instances of troops picking up the buzzing sound of a drone were reported over the last four days but nothing more could be established, officials said.

The BSF troops shot down two drones and intercepted a third along the front on Friday last. A BSF spokesperson had said the third drone fell into Pakistani territory and could not be recovered.

A drone that “violated Indian airspace on Saturday night (May 20) was intercepted by firing in the jurisdiction of the Amritsar sector” and the force recovered 3.3 kilogram of suspected narcotics that was slung under it.

Punjab shares an over 500-kilometre-long front with Pakistan that is guarded by the BSF, and drones and unmanned aerial vehicles taking flight from the neighbouring country into India with drugs and arms and ammunition payloads have become a matter of concern for security agencies over the last three-four years.