Amritsar: BSF shoots down Pakistan drone carrying 10.7kg heroin
The Border Security Force (BSF) shot down a drone coming from Pakistan that was carrying heroin in Punjab's Amritsar, officials said on Monday. This is the second drone activity foiled by the BSF in Amritsar in less than two weeks. Earlier, a Chinese-made drone from Pakistan was shot down by the forces in Amritsar's Dhanoe Kalan village on April 29.
Why does this story matter?
Reportedly, the use of drones has increased dramatically along India's international borders. In February, the Punjab administration notified the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs that 133 drone activities were reported near the Pakistan border since 2020. As per officials, the BSF saw 42 drones near the Pakistan border between January 1-15 this year: 16 at the Punjab border and 21 in Jammu.
What did BSF say about incident?
According to authorities, BSF personnel noticed the drone humming and shot at it, knocking it down. A search discovered that contraband was hidden in nine packages inside a plastic bag. The incident occurred just a day after Punjab's Tarn Taran Police apprehended two persons and recovered an improvised explosive device (IED) from them. Cops claimed the IED was delivered by a drone from Pakistan.
Drone was carrying nearly 10.7kg of heroin: BSF
"BSF troops foiled another smuggling attempt through [Pakistani] drone. Vigilant BSF troops fired at the drone coming from Pak and brought it down," stated the BSF. "Drone carrying nine packets suspected to be heroin (10.670kg) in a bag was recovered," it added.
Have a look at what BSF Punjab Frontier tweeted
Last month, BSF shot down China-made drone
Last month, on April 29, the BSF shot down a drone near Dhanoe Kalan village in Punjab's Amritsar sector as it crossed into the Indian territory from Pakistan. It was a Chinese-made quadcopter DJI Matrice-300 drone that was seized by the BSF, as per an official statement. It was brought down by the soldiers after they heard the drone buzzing.
More coordination between security services needed: Governor
Recently, Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit visited the state's border areas. He met with local and national security authorities soon after the incident involving a Chinese-made drone came to light in Amritsar. The governor took stock of the situation and urged for more collaboration between the security services to combat the smuggling of arms, ammunition, and narcotics via drones.
Rs. 1 lakh reward for information on drones
The BSF's Punjab Frontier has offered a Rs. 1 lakh reward for information on drones being used in illegal operations from across the border in Punjab. It also issued two telephone numbers on which one can provide any drone-related information. The move came in the midst of the increased drone activity at the Punjab International Border for drugs and weapon smuggling, as per officials.
What did the parliamentary committee recommend?
To note, in February, Congress leader Anand Sharma-led Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs recommended a central pool of anti-drone technology should be implemented to tackle the menace of illicit use of drones. It had said the private sector's participation may be explored and also urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to form a standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with drone attacks.
