Jammu and Kashmir: Police recover Ak-47, magazines, ammo airdropped by drone

Official spokesman of police said that one AK 47, one night device, three magazines and ammunition was recovered late on Saturday night in Phallian Mandal under the jurisdiction of Satwari Police Station.

"The ammunition was dropped by a drone as evident from the packing and thread. We are looking for possible receivers in the area. Search is going on," said the spokesman.

Suspected air dropping incident took place around midnight.

"The police teams on receiving information rushed to the spot when some villagers informed them after they awake on hearing the sound of the flying object, suspected to be a drone," police sources said.

They said that the police teams seized the packet contained in a yellow coloured polythene having a handle which was tied with a nylon thread.

On Aug 23 a drone was spotted near the International Border (IB) in Arnia sector during wee hours, with alert BSF jawans firing at it making it to fly back towards the Pakistan side.

Drone sightings along the international border in Jammu and Kashmir have increased in the wake of the drone attack on Air Force Station Jammu in June.

Two explosions had rocked the high security technical area of the station on the intervening night of June 26-27 in which two Indian Air Force personnel sustained minor injuries.

On July 23 this year, Jammu and Kashmir Police had shot down a Pakistani drone carrying a five kg IED in Akhnoor sector’s Gurah Pattan area.

The drone, which was second one shot down by police in Jammu region since last year after Kathua’s Hiranagar, was suspected to have been sent by Jaish-e-Mohammad and it was carrying an IED in ready to use position.

It was an assembled hexa copter having parts made in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, police said, adding the drone was fitted with a flight controller and a GPS.

During the last one and a half year, police have seized a large number of arms, ammunition and explosives that have been dropped through drone sorties. These include 16 AK 47 rifles, three M4 US made rifles, 34 pistols, 15 grenades and 18 IEDs including three big ones.

Even currency notes were dropped through one or two drone sorties.

During this period, police have seized payload of 25-30 drone sorties and arrested many people.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered stricter adherence to the Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) that was framed to handle threats from Sub-Conventional Aerial Platforms like drones, paragliders, microlight aircraft, hot-air balloons.

The district administrations in Jammu and Kashmir have already imposed ban on use, sale and purchase of drones while those using flying machines in marriage ceremonies and other events, have to obtain permissions prior to its use.

(With UNI inputs)