Daijiworld Media Network - Jammu

Jammu, Jan 10: Security forces on Saturday thwarted a cross-border arms smuggling attempt after recovering a consignment of weapons and ammunition dropped by a Pakistani drone near the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district, officials said.

The recovery was made in the Regal forward area close to the IB during routine surveillance and area domination exercises in the border belt. Alert troops noticed suspicious material in the area and immediately launched a detailed search operation, which led to the seizure of the arms cache.

According to officials, the recovered consignment included two pistols, three magazines, 16 rounds of ammunition and one hand grenade. Preliminary assessments suggest the weapons were meant to facilitate terror-related activities in the border region. Timely action by the security forces, officials said, helped avert a potential security threat.

Authorities added that the arms drop was part of a continuing attempt by terror handlers operating from across the border to supply weapons to militants using drones. The increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles for dropping arms and contraband has become a persistent challenge for security forces along both the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

A case has been registered in connection with the incident, and further investigation is underway to identify the intended recipients of the consignment and trace the drone’s launch point and flight path.

In the aftermath of the recovery, security has been intensified in the border areas, with enhanced surveillance and monitoring measures put in place. Officials stressed that sustained ground patrolling combined with technical surveillance remains key to countering drone-based infiltration and smuggling attempts.

Jammu and Kashmir has a 740-kilometre-long Line of Control running through districts such as Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora in the Kashmir Valley, and Poonch, Rajouri and parts of Jammu district in the Jammu division. The LoC is guarded by the Indian Army, while the 240-kilometre-long International Border across Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts is manned by the Border Security Force (BSF).