2 kg heroin dropped by drone seized near IB in Jammu

The consignment was recovered by police teams in Bishnah tehsil following a week-long surveillance operation based on specific intelligence inputs

Tipped off by a local, Jammu and Kashmir Police on Wednesday seized around 2 kg of heroin suspected to have been dropped by a Pakistani drone near the Indo-Pak International Border in Jammu district.

Security personnel recover and seize a consignment of around 2 kg of heroin suspected to have been dropped by a drone near the International Border in Jammu district, Wednesday. (PTI)

The consignment was recovered by police teams in Bishnah tehsil following a week-long surveillance operation based on specific intelligence inputs about possible attempts of cross-border narcotics smuggling.

The packet was recovered from Bahadurpur Panchayat in the Bishnah area after a local resident saw a drone hovering over his fields and subsequently winched down a packet before flying away, said a police spokesperson.

On receiving information, teams of the Border Security Force (BSF) and police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area.

Anticipating the smuggling bid, police had already been maintaining a strict vigil in the suspected areas and intercepted the consignment before it could reach the conduits

A team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) was rushed to the spot for scientific examination of the recovered contraband and collection of evidence, he said.

A comprehensive investigation has been launched to trace both forward and backward linkages of the Pakistani network involved in the smuggling operation, he added

“The meticulous planning paid off when the illicit payload was intercepted and seized before it could reach its intended recipients,” said the spokesperson.

The FSL team has conducted a detailed analysis of the recovered contraband and collected vital scientific evidence from the spot, he said.

The seizure highlights the Jammu and Kashmir Police force’s enhanced vigilance and tactical capability in countering emerging technological threats, such as drone-based smuggling from across the border, said the spokesperson.

The local who spotted the drone over his fields has been identified as Darshan Lal.