Security, intelligence agencies hold meeting to discuss Pak drone threat

With Pakistani drones airdropping arms and contraband in the border areas of the state, various security agencies and armed forces in a rare exercise on Friday chalked out a joint strategy to meet the threat, in Jalandhar.

The meeting chaired by Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta was attended by senior officials of the Air Force, Military Intelligence, Border Security Force (BSF), Intelligence Bureau (IB), National Investigation Agency (NIA) and officials from other agencies.

It is learnt that the meeting was held on the directions of Union home ministry in the wake of serious challenge emerging from across the border.

After the Punjab Police foiled the nefarious design of Pakistan with the seizure of arms airdropped in Tarn Taran village by drones from Pakistan, chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has also strongly taken up the matter with Union home minister Rajnath Singh.

Police had seized a huge cache of arms, including 5 AK-47 rifles, pistols, satellite phones and hand grenades, from the module backed by Pakistan-based handlers of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). Two drones which had failed to fly back after dropping arms were also recovered from the module.

In the meeting that lasted for nearly two hours, security and intelligence agencies decided to share information concerning the matter among all agencies, especially bringing in more synergy in intelligence sharing with the police.

The possibility of dropping of arms and ammunitions gone unnoticed and chances of their supply and use was also dwelled upon.

“Drones from across the border might have airdropped weapons and ammunitions on earlier occasions too. A strategy was chalked out to increase more intelligence vigil on the sleeper cells of Khalistan that Pakistan might be planning to activate,” said a police official.

Notably, from past few months, threat of Pakistani drones has emerged as a new challenge for security agencies.

Even after the KZF module was busted, at least three drones were spotted in the villages of Ferozepur sector. Following this, Ferozepur deputy commissioner has banned any kind of use of drone, including capturing of visuals in marriage or other functions.

DGP Gupta said the meeting was aimed at reviewing general security scenario.

DGP (Intelligence), Punjab, has already ordered for ‘round the clock’ surveillance by counter intelligence wing in border areas, for which senior intelligence officials were assigned the task.