Drone spotted over Gurdaspur

Ravi Dhaliwal

Dera Baba Nanak (Gurdaspur), October 4

The BSF and the Punjab Police launched a joint search operation after a drone hovered above Abbad village in Dera Baba Nanak tehsil of the district late last night.

Over 100 incidents this year

An officer said over a 100 incidents of drones penetrating into Indian territory have surfaced this calendar year. “In Gurdaspur district alone, this was the 22nd such flight,” he said.

The flying machine made five forays into Indian territory. Every time it flew over Abbad, the BSF would retaliate by firing rounds. In all, 37 rounds were fired at the drone between 10.30 pm and 3 am. As many as 12 illumination bombs were also used to spot the drone.

The area falls in the police district of Batala and revenue district of Gurdaspur.

Batala SSP Satinder Singh was informed around 11 pm following which he ordered deployment of force in and around the village. These contraptions often carry payloads comprising arms, ammunition and drugs, normally heroin. “The police, in collaboration with the BSF, are conducting a search. It will continue till evening and if the need arises even into the night. So far, we have found nothing incriminating,” said the SSP.

BSF DIG Prabhakar Joshi said the drone had entered nearly 10 km inside Indian territory and this was indeed a matter of concern.

It is not clear whether it was a reconnaissance drone or the one used for smuggling.

On earlier occasion, these flying objects have dropped packets of heroin and

even lunch boxes containing bombs. An officer said over a hundred incidents of drones penetrating into Indian territory have surfaced this calendar year. “In Gurdaspur district alone, this was the 22nd such flight,” he said.

He added that the possibility of shooting down these objects was minute because no effective technology had been developed till yet.

Sources reveal trials of “anti-drone system” technology were being held for the last one year but nothing tangible has come out of them so far.