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Drones dropping arms, drugs on rise in Punjab
State has witnessed 388 sightings of drones, of which BSF shot down 150, in past eight months that shows unabated smuggling by unmanned aerial vehicles to strike terror in border state.
The hand-grenade and RDX used to carry out the explosion in Chandigarh’s Sector 10 on September 11 was a military-grade equipment smuggled from Pakistan using a drone two months ago. This has raised concerns about unabated incidents of arms and drugs being dropped by unmanned aerial vehicles along the border in Punjab despite efforts to cut the supply chain.
“This is a challenge. Pakistan’s ISI and terror operatives are using drones to push in arms, ammunition and heroin at specific locations from where the consignment is transported using their local network,” said a senior Punjab Police officer.
The police recovered a 9mm Glock pistol along with ammunition from Chandigarh blast accused Rohan Massih, 19, which they say was also smuggled from Pakistan via a drone. Rohan and his accomplice, Vishal Masih, admitted to targeting retired superintendent of police Jaskirat Singh Chahal to avenge the action against Sikh militants during the decade of militancy in Punjab. ISI-backed Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Singh, alias Rinda, of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and US-based gangster Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, masterminded the attack and used drones to drop the arms that were hidden in Amritsar district for two months.
Police probe into this case has revealed that grenade used in the attack was ‘Arges HG 84 grenade’ that is used by Pakistan military and is manufactured in Pakistan, a senior police official added.
Trend since 2022
The incident highlights how drones are increasingly being used by Pakistan-based handlers to create terror in Punjab. This year, the border state has witnessed 388 sightings of drones out of which 150 were shot down by the Border Security Force (BSF).
Since March 16, 2022, the state witnessed around 1,100 sightings of drones with the recovery of 290 drones.
In the Sarhali blast case, where an RPG hit the local police station in August 2023, and the RPG attack on the Punjab Police intelligence wing headquarters in Mohali in May 2022, the ammunition was supplied by local handlers after being dropped by drones.
Drugs fetch money
A senior Punjab Police official said: “It’s a common trend that the smugglers pump arms and ammunition with a certain quantity of drugs so that by selling drugs the receiver also gets the money promised by the Pakistan-based handlers.”
IG, headquarters, and spokesperson of Punjab Police, Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill admitted that drones are posing a big challenge before the police and the central agencies, including the BSF. “Punjab Police is working in close coordination with the BSF, which has developed a second line of defence to arrest the smuggling of arms and drugs dropped by drones,” the IGP said.
