Jammu/ July,24 : A Pakistani drone flying along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district shot down by the Border Security Force (BSF) in June has been sent for forensic examination to the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and the case has been handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) recently.
“The heavy drone was manually handled from across the Border Outpost Pansar (BOP) Pansar. A drone usually has an inbuilt mechanism with longitude and latitude. But in this case, deliberate manipulation was done as this drone did not give away its location of origin. Hence, the NTRO has been roped in, while the anti-terror probe agency awaits its report,” top officials said, who is handling the case.
The patrolling party of BSF from 19 Battalion on June 20 had spotted a Pakistani drone flying in the Rathua area of Hiranagar sector and fired eight rounds to shoot it down. The six-copter drone weighed around 17.5 kilograms and the consignment weighed around five to six kilograms.
The case is being probed by NTRO to give a clear picture to NIA. “The drone was flown around 5.10 am on June 20. There was also a lot of noise emanating from it giving away its location. While the NIA believes that BSF shot down the drone. However, if the BSF copter had chased the drone, it could have been easier to trace the culprit. NIA sleuths are relying on technical intelligence, including analysing call data records, to find out for who the consignment was meant,” said an NIA official.
