BSF shoots down ‘armed’ Pak drone

JAMMU: A Pakistan drone, loaded with a sophisticated rifle and seven grenades, was shot down by the Border Security Force along the International Border in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said.
This is the first such incident in Jammu region when a drone carrying arms and explosives was shot down by the BSF, frustrating Pakistan’s attempt to smuggle weapons into the Union Territory using the hexacopter, they said.
The China-made hexacopter, weighing about 17.5 kgs and having a payload of 5.5 kg including a sophisticated US-Made M4 semi-automatic carbine and seven Chinese grenades, was spotted hovering in the skies by a BSF patrol party at Rathua village in the vicinity of Border Out Post (BOP) Pansar around 5.10 am and was shot down by the guards who fired at least nine rounds, the officials said.
They said it entered into this side from Pakistan and such attempts have been made in various sectors over the past one year.
There were intelligence inputs about possible use of drones for smuggling arms and ammunition from Pakistan.
“This is the biggest achievement and averted a major incident… We are alert to the situation and keeping an eye on aakash (sky), zameen (land) and paataal (subterranean) activities,” Inspector General of BSF, Jammu frontier, NS Jamwal, who rushed to the Hiranagar sector, told reporters there.
He said the 8 × 6.2 ft drone came from Thakurpora post in Narowal–Shakargarh sector in Pakistan and was carrying the M4 semi-automatic carbine machine, its two magazines, seven Chinese grenades and some other items.
Four batteries, a radio signal receiver and two Global Positioning System (GPS) were also seized, the officials said. (PTI)