The ever-increasing level of sophistication acquired by drones flying in from across the International Border (IB) has become a cause for concern for the security agencies.
‘Difficult to intercept
Chinese firm DJI is manufacturing state-of-the-art drones. I agree the devices being flown in from Pakistan have become more sophisticated, making our job more difficult, if not impossible. Suhail Qasim Mir, Batala SSP
Seizures made in the recent months by the BSF and officials of the Gurdaspur and Batala police districts clearly prove the Pakistani state and non-state actors are sending state-of-the-art China-made DJI Mavic-3 classic drones carrying payloads of high-quality made-in-Afghanistan heroin.
Police sources say these unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), a euphemism for drones, are manufactured by China-based firm DJI, which is considered the global leader.
Batala SSP Suhail Qasim Mir said the DJI firm was indeed one of the best in the business. “It is a robust firm manufacturing state-of-the-art drones. I agree the devices being flown in from Pakistan have become more sophisticated, making our job more difficult, if not impossible,” he said.
He said since these drones fly during the night, it becomes difficult to detect them. “However, we follow the humming sound emanating from these machines. We have a standard operating procedure (SOP) in place and we follow that meticulously,” he said.
Officers say DJI-manufactured drones are much smaller in size as compared to conventional drones, these fly up to a height of 1 km, making it hard to spot these. These drones come equipped with hi-tech cameras so these can be used for surveillance and spying, apart from dropping packets of drugs. These can remain air-borne for around 45 minutes and cover a distance of around 15 km.
A senior officials said the launch pads of these flying machines were located near the IB, which means state-sponsored Pakistani actors were clearly involved. On many occasions, the Indian authorities have taken up the matter with the Pakistan Rangers, but the outcomes of such deliberations had not been very fruitful.
There is a talk of AI-enabled CCTV cameras being installed at strategic points near the IB. However, the project is still on the drawing board and it will take some time for its implementation.
Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit, during one of his visits to Gurdaspur last year, had claimed that anti-drone equipment would be installed along the entire stretch of the IB. However, nothing tangible has been done so far.
“Pakistan uses drones to minimise the risk involved in sending human infiltrators,” said a senior police official.
Since January 1, the BSF has seized 137 drones along with 28 weapons besides 160.28 kg heroin in state’s border villages. Maximum seizures have been made in Tarn Taran and Amritsar.
