JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir Police shot down a drone with payload attachment coming from Pakistan side in Rajbagh area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district in the early hours of Sunday.
Additional director general of police (ADGP), Jammu zone, Mukesh Singh said, "On the basis of drone activity observed in the area of Talli Hariya Chak under Rajbagh police station in the district, early morning search party of police was being regularly sent in the general area."
"This morning, the search party observed a drone coming from the border side and fired at it," said ADGP Jammu Mr Singh adding, "And the drone was shot down."
Senior police officer further said, "It has a payload attachment having 7 magnetic bombs and 7 UBGL grenades." There have been many cases of drone dropping off arms in the notice of security forces, all allegedly using Pakistani drones, since June 20, 2020 when the alert Border Security Force (BSF) troops shot down a Pakistani drone along the international border in Rathua village in Hiranagar taluka in Kathua district.
The BSF also recovered one M-4 US-made rifle, two magazines, 60 rounds of bullets and seven grenades. On july 23, 2021, J&K police successfully shot down a hexacopter (six-winged) fitted with a flight controller and GPS and carrying improvised explosive device (IED) material weighing around 5kg.
Major weapons dropping incidents by Pak drones were reported several times.
On September 22, 2020, 2 AK-47 rifles, 3 magazines and 90 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, 1 9-mm Chinese pistol, along with two magazines, 14 rounds of ammo were seized at Sohal Khad, on outskirts of Akhnoor, nearly 15km from nearest LoC point.
On September 19, 2020, 2 AK-56 rifles, 6 magazines and 180 rounds, 2 Chinese pistols with 3 magazines and 30 rounds, 4 grenades, 2 pouches and Rs 1 lakh cash were seized with arrest of three people in Rajouri district, along the LoC.
On September 9, 2020, 1 AK-47 rifle, M4 US carbine, 6 Chinese pistols, along with ammunition, were seized with arrest of two truckers. During the interrogation, the duo said that weapons were dropped near Kathua’s Rasana village late September 5 night.
On June 20, 2020, the BSF shot down a drone in Kathua’s Hiranagar sector along the international border. It was found carrying a payload of nearly 5 kg, including a US-made M4 semi-automatic carbine, 2 magazines, 60 rounds, and 7 Chinese grenades.
