Heroin-carrying hexacopter drone shot down in Punjab

Amritsar : In a joint operation with the Border Security Force (BSF), Punjab Police shot down a sophisticated hexacopter drone, loaded with 5 kg heroin, during a search operation launched along the border with Pakistan in Amritsar district on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

Director General of Police, Punjab Gaurav Yadav said that this is the sixth drone recovered in less than two months. He said this hybrid six-winged drone, worth Rs 10 lakh, was assembled with parts manufactured in the US and China and was equipped with hi-tech features, including long-lasting battery backup and infrared-based night vision camera and GPS system.

Yadav said after noticing the drone movement in Indo-Pak border, police teams from Amritsar Rural district immediately shared pinpointed inputs with the BSF and jointly conducted an intensive search operation in an area, just two km away from the India-Pakistan border.

He said that the police teams had fired at least 12 bursts from an AK-47 to shoot down the drone. Senior Superintendent of Police, Amritsar Rural, Swapan Sharma said the police have rounded up two persons from the spot when they were trying to escape.

Investigations are on to ascertain the identity of the Pakistani smugglers, who sent the consignment via drone, and also their Indian associates, who were to receive this air-dropped consignment of heroin, he added.