Despite countermeasures, drone intrusions up along Pak border

The use of drones for trafficking heroin, arms and ammunition continued to pose a major challenge to the Border Security Force (BSF) and the other intelligence and security agencies during 2024.

Despite several counter-drone measures being put in place, the year witnessed a major spurt in cases of intrusion by rouge drones from across the International Border while the Amritsar border belt remained the favourite intrusion point.

Out of 286 drones that were intercepted by the BSF along the 553-km India-Pakistan border in Punjab this year, 164 were intercepted along the border belt in Amritsar area alone, followed by Tarn Taran, where 75 drones were confiscated.

Last year, the number of interceptions was pegged at 107 along the entire border belt in the state. In all, 86 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were intercepted in the past 45 days alone.

If officials of the Punjab Police, the second line of defence, are to be believed, a number of drones manage to return undetected after dropping consignments.

Majority of the contraband and sophisticated arms seized by the police during the year were smuggled through drones. A senior police official said even explosives used in the recent attacks on police establishments were smuggled from Pakistan through drones.

A number of drones found damaged in border area fields indicated that the consignments attached with those drones had been retrieved by smugglers on this side of the border before these UAVs were seized by the security agencies.

As per data, 280 kg high-grade heroin was seized by the BSF during the year. Out of that, 115 kg was seized in Amritsar and 58 kg in Tarn Taran border areas.

Apart from that, the BSF also seized 36 pistols and apprehended 159 persons, including 92 trans-border drug traffickers and 67 other suspects, who were later handed over to the police. Similarly, 30 Pakistani intruders, two Bangladeshi nationals and an Afghan national were also arrested. Four Pakistani intruders, three of them along the Amritsar border, were neutralised by the force.

A BSF official said the GPS analysis of drones hinted at the role of Pakistan-based agencies behind these intrusions. He said technical counter-measures helped alert troops to shoot down drones. He said the BSF had been stepping up counter-drone measures.