New Delhi: The Special Operations Group (SOG) conducted a search operation on Sunday in the border area of Jakh in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district after villagers reported seeing a suspected drone the day before. According to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, the search began after villagers informed them of a possible drone here.
"Pakistan has carried out another drone conspiracy in Samba. We received information from villagers about the possible sighting of a drone; a search is currently underway," Gharu Ram, DSP, SOG, said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
"According to defence sources, a drone from Pakistan entered Indian territory on Saturday evening, causing a commotion among locals and security forces," he added.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police went on to inform that the drone was spotted at Sarathi Kalan, a border village in the Samba sector. The drone then returned from Chak Dulma to Haider Post in Pakistan, passing through villages Dera and Madoon with sparkling white light.
"Whereas the said drone was flying at a height of at least 1 kilometre above the ground, the security forces went to the spot and took stock of the situation and conducted the search operation in all the areas in the morning," DSP Gharu Ram said, adding that Pakistan has made similar efforts in the past, landing arms and ammunition in Indian territory via drones.
In addition to killing the smugglers, security forces intercepted a shipment of weapons and narcotics, deeming their operation a failure.
Meanwhile, the SOG of Jammu Kashmir police launched a massive search operation in Bandrali, Jakh, and other adjoining areas of Samba, as Gharu Ram stated that the area is extremely sensitive and that "we, along with the CRPF and J-K Police, have launched a massive search operation in that area."
A Pakistani drone had previously been spotted near the International Border in Punjab's Gurdaspur on the morning of September and that drone had flown back towards the Pakistani side after Border Security Force (BSF) troops fired several rounds at it, reported ANI.
According to the BSF, 107 drones flying from across the border were spotted inside Indian territory until July of this year, compared to 97 drones spotted all of last year. The BSF spotted 97 drones coming from across the border along the International Border (IB) in 2021, including 64 in Punjab, 31 in Jammu, and two entering from the Line of Control (LOC) in Jammu.
(With Inputs From ANI)