In a major breakthrough, the Border Security Force (BSF) has foiled yet another attempt by Pakistan-based smugglers to sneak in arms and narcotics into India using drones.
According to sources, a drone carrying an AK series rifle, two magazines, and 40 bullet rounds was intercepted and shot down by the BSF personnel in Gurdaspur district of Punjab on Friday. The incident took place around 1 am near Metla village, close to the international border.
As per the standard operating procedure, the troops opened fire to intercept the drone, and a search operation was launched in the area with the help of local police. The search operation led to the recovery of the drone and the arms cache from an agricultural field near Nabi Nagar village.
This is not the first such incident in recent times. On Tuesday, the BSF recovered 2.6 kg of heroin, worth more than Rs 12 crore in the international market, dropped by a drone from Pakistan on the international border in Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan.
The BSF personnel fired at the drone after observing it dropping the packet in Ghadsana area, and two persons from Punjab who came to collect the packet were detained. They were identified as Ringu alias Harjinder and Sandeep, both residents of Fazalika, Punjab.
The suspects were handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for questioning. The NCB officials are interrogating them to find out the packet's handler, said sources.
These incidents have once again highlighted the growing menace of drug smuggling and arms trafficking using drones. Security agencies have been put on high alert, and the BSF has intensified its vigil along the international border to thwart any such attempt in the future.
(Edited by : Soham Shetty)
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