Indo-Pak Border: Hexacopter hi-tech drones carrying drugs shot down in joint-operation; two accused arrested

Indo-Pak Border: A six-wing (hexacopter) drone carrying a five kg heroin was shot down near the Indo-Pak international border in Amritsar, in a joint operation by Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police. Ahead of the operation, two accused were arrested by the Punjab police.

Police Statements

According to the Punjab police, a joint patrolling party of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Amritsar Police, at around 4 am, heard the humming sound of a drone and shot it down at the Lopoke area in Kakkar village, and seized five kg of heroin.

Amritsar’s Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said, “The ongoing war against drugs received yet another major breakthrough after Punjab Police, in a joint operation with Border Security Force (BSF), have shot down a sophisticated hexacopter drone loaded with five kg heroin during a search operation launched at the area of Border Outpost (BOP) Kakkar on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.”

The DGP also added that the parts of drones were manufactured in US and China.

He said that this hybrid six-winged drone, worth Rs 10 lakhs, is assembled with parts manufactured in USA and China, and was equipped with hi-tech features including long-lasting battery backup and infrared-based night vision camera and GPS system.

“After noticing the drone movement in the Indo-Pak border on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, Police teams from Amritsar Rural district immediately shared the pin-pointed inputs with the BSF and jointly conducted an intensive search operation in the area of Kakkar village, which is just two km away from the Indo-Pak border,” DGP Yadav said.

Police teams had fired at least 12 burst-fires from AK-47s to shoot down the drone, he added.

Case registered

During the operation, the Police rounded up two persons from the spot when they were trying to escape, said the Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Swapan Sharma.

On Sunday, a case has been registered under sections 21, 23 and 28 of the NDPS Act and sections 10, 11 and 12 of the Aircraft Act at Police Station Lopoke in Amritsar Rural.

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Similar Investigation in Rajasthan

On January 19, two persons were arrested after a drone was caught at the Indo-Pak border in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar. BSF seized around 6.150 kg of heroin, while three other persons managed to abscond.

Till now all the smugglers caught in smuggling are from Punjab, said the police officials.

In a similar incident from Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar, two were held for smuggling heroin to India from Pakistan through a drone. The incident took place on January 15. Drones from the Pakistan side smuggle drugs and ammunition in India.