BSF seizes record 16 drones in a week on Punjab border

There has been a spurt in the number of drones intercepted by the Border Security Force (BSF) along the International Border in Punjab, with 16 such flying machines being recovered during the past week.

In addition, the BSF also seized about 16 kgs narcotics during this period and arrested two persons suspected of smuggling.

“Between November 9-15, there have been 16 incidents where we shot down or recovered abandoned drones, which is the highest number ever in a single week. Earlier the highest figure was 10 in a week,” a BSF officer said. Most of the incidents were in Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur sectors, he added.

This year so far, the BSF has recovered 216 drones as compared to a total of 107 in 2023.

Originating from Pakistan, these are used to smuggle narcotics, weapons and fake currency.

Over the past 24 hours, in four separate incidents the BSF seized 5.9 kg heroin, two China-made drones and arrested a suspect near the border in the Amritsar Sector. While seven packets containing about 3.8 kg heroin were recovered from the fields in one incident, a drone along with 545 grams of heroin were found from another site.

In the third incident, a person was arrested on the outskirts of Amritsar with 1.6 kg heroin. During a joint search with the Punjab Police following a tip-off, another drone was recovered.

Another big seizure was on November 13, when the BSF seized 6.5 kg heroin from two different places near the border following intelligence inputs. Two packets weighing 4.45 kg were recovered in the Gurdaspur sector and four packets weighing two kgs were found in the Amritsar Sector. The packets were wrapped in yellow adhesive tape with rings and illuminating strips attached to them indicating they had been dropped by drones.

There have been two occasions when four drones were recovered on a single day. On November 12, four drones were intercepted in different incidents in Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Amritsar sectors, along with recovery of narcotics.

On November 9, four hostile drones were neutralised at different places in Punjab. According to BSF officers, these were neutralised using advanced technical countermeasures that have been put in place at several places along the border.

On November 10, the BSF had arrested a suspect near the border in the Amritsar sector and seized a motorcycle having fake documents from his possession. Two drones were also intercepted the same day in Amritsar and Tarn Taran Sectors.

BSF officers say that drones are now the preferred mode of smuggling as their use does away with the need for traffickers on both sides to approach the border fence, which is risky due to patrols and watch posts. Drones can pick and drop consignments well away from the fence or check posts.

Owing to their small size and low flying altitude, drones are also difficult to detect. The BSF has devised drills and procedures to detect and neutralise drones, which are largely based on visual and audio observations. A limited number of anti-drone systems have also been put in place.

Amongst BSF’s five frontiers facing Pakistan, Punjab is the most active as far drug smuggling is concerned, followed by the Sriganganagar area in Rajasthan Frontier due to the proximity of dense habitations and numerous link roads along the border. The situation in Jammu and Kashmir frontiers involves infiltration and influx of weapons, while southern Rajasthan and Gujarat, being sparsely populated in border regions, witness fewer such incidents.

Most of the recovered drones are DJI Mavic series manufactured in China by a private firm based in Shenzhen, according to BSF officials. These are small drones weighing less than one kg and carry payloads up to 500-600 grams that are attached to them with adhesive tape or cords.

The use of drones for smuggling began in 2018 – 2019, with initially larger hexacopters being used and occasional incidents being reported. Over the years, this activity has intensified and the trend has been to switch over to smaller drones that are cheaper and have lower visual and audio signature. These carry about half-a-kg load that is attached to them with adhesive tape or cords. Recovery of larger drones is now rare.