BSF troops open fire at ‘drone-like objects’

Some "drone-like objects" were seen along the Indo-Pak border in Punjab's Ferozepur, prompting BSF personnel to open fire at them, officials said here yesterday.

The objects were sighted at Tendiwala village near the Shameke border outpost twice around 8.48 pm and 11:00 pm on Monday night, BSF officials said.

The BSF personnel from the 136th Battalion fired to bring them down, they said. However, the objects could not be recovered in a joint search operation of the BSF and Punjab Police.

Deputy Inspector General of the BSF, Sandeep Chanan, said though some objects were seen in the sky, it could not be ascertained whether they were drones or something else.

SP Baljeet Singh Sidhu said police had received information regarding "some drones" following which they swung into action.

"Police asked villagers to report if they find something suspicious," he added.

On January 10, an Army jawan and two others were arrested by the Punjab Police for allegedly smuggling drugs and weapons from across the border using GPS-fitted drones in collusion with their Pakistani accomplices.

On October 7, BSF troops had spotted at least five sorties by drone originating from Pakistan along the Hussaniwala border in this sector. One of them had ventured almost a kilometre inside the Indian airspace.