New Delhi: The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has submitted a detailed report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday that raises questions over the failure of the Indian Air Force and Border Security Force to detect recent incidents of drones carrying weapons from Pakistan.
The IB report questions the capabilities of both the forces over detection of the drones. It quetions as to “why were they not able to detect the presence of any drone activity along their area of operation?”
The report said Pakistani state actors were behind these incidents. It also said that the drones recovered are Chinese-made. “The possibility of some undetected sorties has also not been ruled out,” said the report, adding on average 10 kgs of explosives, arms or means of communication were smuggled in by Pakistani drones.
The consignments that were smuggled into India were meant for terrorists hiding in J&K.
The MHA has directed National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the matter and also the role of Pakistani state actors behind it. The agency after getting formal letter from MHA will register an FIR and start a probe. Two days ago, a Pakistani drone was spotted flying over two villages in Indian territory along the India-Pakistan border in Hussainiwala area in Punjab. This was the second such incident in two days.
Villagers captured pictures of the drone on their mobile phones. The first sighting was reported in Hazarasingh Wala village and later in Tendiwala village.
Earlier, a Pakistani drone was sighted thrice in the same area on Monday night this week.
The Punjab Police has already launched elaborate investigations to account for the weapons consignments apparently smuggled into India from across the border by the two drones recovered over the last one month.
Police are probing drones spotted last month in Jhabal town in Tarn Taran district. Two drones were recovered.
Probes so far suggest several Pakistan-based terrorist groups were engaged in smuggling weapons into India since August, post the abrogation of Article 370. Both the recovered drones were apparently sent by different terror groups linked with Pak’s ISI spy agency.
3rd suspected Pak drone spotted in Punjab
Chandigarh: Another suspected Pakistani drone was spotted flying in the Indian territory along the India-Pakistan border in Hussainiwala area in Punjab on Tuesday night, security officials said. This is the third such spotting in Hussainiwala near Ferozepur over the past three days. Villagers captured pictures of the drone on their mobiles. “A shining object was seen in the sky moving towards Ferozepur at night,” an eyewitness told a news channel. Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner Chander Gaind said the BSF and the police have intensified patrolling in areas near the Indo-Pakistan border. A police official said a search operation was launched in the fields and the banks of Satluj river along the border to recover the drone or any object dropped by it. The Punjab Police are also investigating weapon droppings by two drones in the area from across the border.
