Jammu, January 31:
Tension flared along the Indo-Pak International Border in the Ghagwal area of Samba district today after Border Security Force (BSF) personnel detected a suspected Pakistani drone hovering over Indian territory. The sighting prompted an immediate tactical response from the troops, who opened fire to neutralize the aerial threat.
According to official sources, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was observed crossing the border and flying inside Indian airspace for several minutes.
The Incident at Ghagwal Sector
The suspected drone was spotted in the early hours of Saturday. BSF personnel on duty noticed the blinking lights of the flying object and immediately initiated counter-measures.
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Immediate Response: BSF troops fired several rounds toward the drone to intercept its flight path.
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Retreat: Following the engagement, the drone reportedly disappeared from the area, believed to have retreated back across the border into Pakistani territory.
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No Casualties: Officials confirmed that there was no loss of life or damage to property during the firing incident.
Security Forces on High Alert
The incident has led to a massive increase in vigilance across the Samba sector. While no airdropped consignments have been reported yet, the area is being closely monitored to ensure that no weapons or narcotics were dropped by the UAV before it fled.
“BSF personnel are maintaining a high state of alertness. A massive search operation has been launched in the Ghagwal and surrounding border areas to sanitize the region and rule out any illicit drops,” a source stated.
Persistent Drone Threats
This is not an isolated event. Over the past few weeks, there has been a significant uptick in drone activity along the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in the Jammu division.
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January 10: An arms consignment containing pistols and grenades was seized in the same Ghagwal area after a similar drone movement.
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January 16: Multiple sightings were reported in the Ramgarh (Samba) and Poonch sectors.
Security agencies believe that these drones are being used by across-the-border elements for both surveillance of Indian positions and the smuggling of war-like stores to sustain militancy in the region.
