In a significant development, the Border Security Force (BSF) successfully intercepted a Chinese-made drone near Maboke village in Punjab’s Ferozepur district, thwarting a potential smuggling attempt, as announced in a press release by BSF Punjab Frontier on Saturday.
According to the official release, the BSF detected the suspicious drone’s movement near Maboke Village on December 8, 2023, around 10:10 pm. Acting swiftly in adherence to established procedures, BSF troops immediately engaged the drone, firing upon it to intercept its progress. Subsequent searches on the morning of December 9 led to the recovery of the drone, equipped with a hold and release mechanism, from a farming field adjacent to Rohilla Hazi village.
The recovered drone has been identified as a Quadcopter with the model DJI Mavic 3 Classic, manufactured in China, according to information provided in the press note.
This incident is part of a growing trend where nefarious elements attempt to smuggle arms or narcotics into Indian territory using drones. The state of Punjab, in particular, has been grappling with frequent smuggling attempts orchestrated by cross-border smugglers utilizing drone technology.
Notably, this week’s interception is not an isolated incident. Earlier in the week, the BSF, in collaboration with the Punjab Police, uncovered another Pakistani drone in the Amritsar sector. Recovered from a farming field adjacent to Dhanoe Kalan village in Amritsar, this Quadcopter, bearing the same model DJI Mavic 3 Classic and originating from China, was part of a joint operation based on specific intelligence inputs.
The BSF Punjab Frontier took to social media platform ‘X’ to share information about the joint operation, stating, “On specific intelligence input, @BSF_Punjab and @PunjabPoliceInd (@AmritsarRPolice) launched a joint search operation and recovered a Pakistani #drone (Quadcopter – DJI Mavic 3 Classic-MADE IN CHINA), from a field near Village Dhanoe Kalan, District Amritsar, Punjab.”
The successful interception and recovery underscore the vigilance of security forces in tackling emerging challenges posed by technological advancements employed for illegal activities along the border areas.
