The Border Security Force (BSF) on Tuesday said the Pakistani drone that was shot down by its troopers along the international border in Jammu district might have been deployed for multiple purposes including the reconnaissance of Indian forces.
The Pakistani drone was hovering near BSF’s Bholichak outpost in Arnia sector on the strategic 198-km border.
“The incident happened on Sunday evening when we shot down a Pakistani drone near a forward post in Arnia. Apparently, it had come for some specific purpose like reconnaissance of our deployment or to relay a message (to contacts). There could be many possibilities,” BSF’s Jammu frontier inspector general NS Jamwal said.
“Apparently, there was no camera in the drone but sometimes they have hidden miniature kind of thing which is required to be found out through forensic search. We have sent it for a detailed investigation. Many agencies are looking into the matter,” Jamwal said.
The black-coloured drone was made in China.
Another officer said Pakistan uses drones to check the level of alertness of Indian troops, to drop payloads of arms and ammunition, as they did in Punjab last year, and to find safe gaps to try and push terrorists for staging attacks.
{{/usCountry}}Another officer said Pakistan uses drones to check the level of alertness of Indian troops, to drop payloads of arms and ammunition, as they did in Punjab last year, and to find safe gaps to try and push terrorists for staging attacks.
{{/usCountry}}In September last year, multiple heavy-lift drones from Pakistan dropped arms and ammunition into neighbouring Punjab over a period of eight days.
They were used to drop AK-47 rifles, counterfeit currency and narcotics in 10 sorties spanned over eight days at Tarn Taran in Punjab.
The arms and ammunition, dropped by drones that came from across the border, reportedly were for terrorists to carry out 26/11-like attacks in Punjab and its neighbouring states.
The payloads were sent by Pakistan-based Khalistani terror groups between September 9 and 16.