Jaipur: In a major breakthrough along the western frontier, security personnel intercepted a suspected cross-border drone consignment in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district, seizing 7 kg of plastic explosives believed to be RDX, two Turkey-made Zigana pistols and nearly 650 cartridges.
Two men from Punjab were caught at the drop site, police said on Tuesday.
The packets came down in a field beside a canal at Rawla Mandi’s 12 KND area, roughly a kilometre from the Khanuwali border post. Officials said the drone completed three sorties between midnight and 2 am on Tuesday, releasing the consignment in three separate drops.
Acting on intelligence, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) carried out a coordinated operation with the Border Security Force (BSF) and local police. The suspects — residents of Jalandhar and Ferozepur — were detained while collecting the packets, as reported by The New Indian Express.
ANTF Inspector General Vikas Kumar said the accused had been under watch for a month as part of Operation Seemadkantak. “The drone made three sorties and dropped the consignment in three parts,” Kumar said.
“ANTF, BSF and police personnel caught the men collecting the packets. They are being interrogated. Police and the Army are fully alert,” he added.
Probe Widens
Two of the recovered packets contained the pistols, which carried “Made in Turkey” markings, along with four magazines and around 650 cartridges. The third packet contained the suspected explosive, four pairs of batteries and two remote controls.
“The men in custody are key links in a big network. We are probing who sent the consignment and what its purpose was,” Kumar said.
Investigation teams from Sri Ganganagar, Bikaner and Jaipur are working with border agencies. Searches continued in the area, where security has been intensified.
The recovery adds to a pattern of drone-assisted trafficking along Rajasthan’s frontier. Police records show heroin seizures of over 4 kg in January, 10 kg in March, 12 kg in April, 1.5 kg in May and 10 kg in August.
State DGP Rajiv Kumar Sharma called drone smuggling an escalating concern. “Police vigilance has led to increased recoveries, while joint drills with the BSF were being conducted. The Army and BSF were also working to strengthen anti-drone systems along the international border,” he said.