Amritsar, July 28: In yet another surge of drone incursions along the Indo-Pak border, the Border Security Force (BSF) has shot down four drones in the past 24 hours and recovered a pistol and over a kilogram of heroin from different border villages in Punjab.
Three of the drones were intercepted near Pul Moran in Amritsar, while the fourth was recovered from Tarn Taran district. The BSF confirmed that the drones were China-made DJI Mavic 3 Classic models, commonly used for cross-border smuggling.
“During the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, our troops noticed multiple drone movements in Pul Moran,” said a BSF spokesperson. “Anti-drone systems were immediately activated and successfully neutralised three unmanned aerial vehicles. We recovered one pistol and two packets of heroin weighing 1.15 kg.”
In a parallel operation in Tarn Taran’s Dal village, BSF personnel, in coordination with Punjab Police, recovered another drone—a DJI Air 3—after receiving input about a crash in a paddy field. No contraband was found at the site, and officials suspect that the payload may have been retrieved by local handlers before the security teams arrived.
The incident is part of a pattern of escalating drone activity along the Punjab border. On the night of July 17-18, BSF foiled multiple drone sorties and downed six drones near Pul Moran and Roranwala Khurd, leading to the seizure of 2.34 kg of heroin.
Just days later, on July 24, the BSF shot down six more drones—five in Modhe village and one in Attari—recovering three pistols and over 1 kg of heroin.
Despite heightened vigilance and deployment of electronic counter-drone systems, drone intrusions continue to pose a major challenge to border security. “The frequency of these operations shows how persistent these networks are,” a senior BSF officer said, adding that cross-border smugglers are becoming increasingly tech-savvy.
Security agencies believe that most drones originate from across the border in Pakistan and are guided by GPS to predetermined drop zones inside Indian territory. Investigations are ongoing to identify the local handlers and retrieve any missing consignments.
The BSF, in coordination with state police, has stepped up search operations in vulnerable areas and is reviewing surveillance protocols to respond swiftly to future incursions.
