Alert villagers avert major tragedy
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 3: An arms consignment dropped by a drone from Pakistan has been recovered by police at village Sohanjana in Makwal area of Tawi near the International Border here.
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The consignment concealed in a yellow-colored packet was dropped by a drone last night from Pakistan.
SSP Jammu Chandan Kohli told the Excelsior that the recovery made from the dropped packet included an AK assault rifle, three magazines, 30 rounds and a telescope.
He said searches were conducted in the area after the recovery but no arrest have been made so far.
Reports said the locals spotted drone hovering over village Sohanjana, about six kilometres inside the International Border and informed police.
Police immediately cordoned off the village and launched a search operation during which a yellow packet tied to strings and a wooden base to carry the payload was found, leading to the recovery of the arms and ammunition, the officials said.
They said the militants or their Over Ground Workers (OGWs) had to pick up the consignment but they didn’t turn up as it was recovered by the police.
A case has been registered and efforts are on to identify the persons who were supposed to receive the consignment on the Indian side. Though the recipients of the consignment haven’t been identified, the officials don’t rule out the possibility that it was meant for Kashmir.
“Alertness shown by the villagers has averted the consignment of arms and ammunition from falling into hands of the militants,” the officials said.
Drone activities from Pakistan have witnessed an alarming increase over the past one year, posing a major challenge to security forces guarding the borders.
Security forces shot down two drones and recovered a large quantity of payloads including rifles, Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), sticky bombs and narcotics at different places over the past one year.
The security grid at the border was also intensified after the dropping of two bombs by drones at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Jammu in June this year.
Meanwhile, police teams remained on alert in Jammu anticipating that the militants or the OGWs, who had to pick up the consignment from the border area, might have reached Jammu from the Kashmir Valley or some other places.
Efforts continued to trace and track them down.
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