A suspected Pakistani drone was briefly spotted near the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district on Saturday evening, prompting security forces to swiftly launch a search operation in the area, officials said. According to officials, the drone-like object was observed around 7 pm near Kandral village in the Ramgarh sector. It reportedly entered from the Pakistani side and hovered over the area for a short duration before disappearing. The brief sighting immediately triggered heightened vigilance among border security personnel stationed in the forward areas.
Search launched to rule out weapon or drug drop
Following the sighting, security forces carried out a thorough search operation in and around the village to check for any possible airdrop of illegal material, including weapons, ammunition or narcotics. Officials said the operation continued for several hours, but no suspicious or objectionable items were recovered.
Earlier drone-linked arms recovery raises concern
The latest incident comes days after security forces recovered an arms consignment that had allegedly been dropped by a drone from across the border. On January 9, two pistols, three magazines, 16 rounds of ammunition and a grenade were seized from Paloora village in Ghagwal area of Samba district.
That recovery had already raised alarm among security agencies about renewed attempts to push weapons into the region using unmanned aerial vehicles.
Increased drone activity along LoC
Officials said drone movements have also been noticed recently along several forward areas of the Line of Control in Rajouri and Poonch districts. Over the past week, the Army detected multiple unmanned aerial vehicles in the twin border districts and fired at them at three different locations. The incidents have been reported to Pakistan through established military communication channels.
Security tightened ahead of Republic Day
The sightings come at a time when security has been significantly stepped up across Jammu and Kashmir in view of the upcoming Republic Day celebrations. Border areas remain under close surveillance, with ground patrols and aerial monitoring intensified to prevent any infiltration or smuggling attempts.
Officials said security forces remain alert and are closely monitoring all suspicious aerial activity along the border to ensure there is no threat to civilian areas or national security.
