8 such drone 'sorties' took place in September; the weapons were meant for terrorists

Highlights Home Ministry asks NIA to probe role of Pak's "state actors": Sources

On Wednesday, drones were reportedly seen at 2 locations in Punjab

8 'sorties' took place in September, weapons were meant for terrorists

The "state actors" of Pakistan were behind the 10-odd weapons drop by drones across Punjab that took place in September, intelligence agencies have informed the home ministry. In a report to the ministry, the agencies have also questioned why the Air Force or the Border Security Forces were unable to detect the drone activity, sources told NDTV.

The ministry has asked the National Investigation Agency to investigate the role of Pakistan's "state actors", the sources said. It has also asked the National Technical Research Organisation to work on a frequency on which these drones have been operating along the border. The NTRO (National Technical Research Organisation) is already working on detecting the frequency, which will help sever the contact between the drones and their base stations.

Sources in the Punjab Police earlier told NDTV that a large number of AK-47 assault rifles and grenades were dropped in Amritsar by drones that came from Pakistan. Eight such 'sorties' took place in September and the weapons were meant for terrorists who could use them to create trouble in Jammu and Kashmir, the sources said.

On Wednesday too, reports of villagers seeing drones came from two locations in Punjab. The first sighting was reported from Hazarasingh Wala village at 19.20 pm and later at Tendiwala village at 22.10 pm in Ferozpur district.

Categorically stating that "Pakistan state actors" are behind these incidents, the reports said one of the drones recovered was of Chinese make. Pakistan Rangers are known for using Chinese technology.

The report said the Intelligence officials have been able to detect as many as eight sorties made by the drones to drop weapons. The possibility of undetected sorties has also not been ruled out. On each sortie, the drones have dropped packages weighing upto 10 kg, which could have been arms, explosives, or means of communication, like cell phones or satellite phones, the report said.

In its explanation to the ministry, the BSF has claimed that they do not have the capacity to monitor any kind of aerial movement, and since most of operations are done at night, they are also not visible to a naked eye.

The Air Force maintains such UAVs are not detected by radars either.

Last week, Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked all forces guarding the border - the Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Sena Bal and the Assam Rifles -- to come out with a long term plan for fool-proof guard at the border in areas under their jurisdiction.

The minister has asked the chiefs of these forces to come out with solutions to prevent such episodes, sources said.