Punjab: Another Pakistani drone shot down by BSF in Amritsar
The Border Security Force (BSF) reportedly shot down a drone on Monday that had allegedly entered Punjab's Amritsar district from Pakistan. The BSF also chased away another drone back across the border as armed forces continued its crackdown on terror activities in the area. This new incident came to light just two days after a fairly similar incident was reported in the area.
BSF guns down Pak drone
Officials revealed that the BSF personnel shot at the drone after they saw it sneaking into Indian territory near Amritsar's Chaharpur, foiling another smuggling attempt. The troops started firing at it, after which a bullet struck the drone, and it crashed on the ground. The area was immediately sealed off, and cops and other top agencies were alerted immediately, reported India Today.
Damaged hexacopter retrieved
In their investigation after the initial incident, the BSF retrieved a hexacopter, an unmanned multi-rotor craft with six rotors, moderately damaged. The BSF troops reportedly shot 50 rounds at the two Pakistani drones and shot down one. They later found the drone in a farm field on its own side of the border fencing, along with a suspected item inside white-colored polythene secured underneath.
Tweet: Photos of the shot down hexacopter
Similar drone incidents from last week
On Saturday, Punjab Police arrested one individual for illegally transporting weapons, heroin, into India using a drone. "According to the drill, the personnel tried to intercept the suspected drone by firing at it. A bullet hit the drone, and it fell," a BSF spokesperson stated. On Friday night too, BSF troops shot down another drone in the Amritsar sector along the India-Pakistan border.
Increasing drone activities in Punjab
From 2020 to October 2022, Punjab reported a total of 297 suspicious drone activities in the state. Similar drone incidents have also been reported in other Indian states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Jammu. As per multiple reports, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Pakistan is using these drones to ship drugs and weapons across borders into India.
230 drones spotted in 2022 along the Indo-Pak border
There has recently been a massive spike in Pakistani drones sneaking into Indian territory compared to 2021. Approximately 230 drones have been spotted in 2022 so far along the border. Meanwhile, the numbers last year stood at 104. Regarding the 2020 data, just 77 drones were spotted in the border areas of India and Pakistan.
