Pakistani drones sighted near LoC in J&K's Poonch, search operation underway

Security forces on Monday launched a massive search operation in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir after multiple drones were spotted flying across the Line of Control (LoC) the previous night.

According to officials, nearly half a dozen drones entered Indian airspace around 9:15 pm on Sunday in the Mendhar sector. Their movement was tracked over Balakote, Langote and Gursai nallah before they swiftly returned to the Pakistani side within five minutes.

The unmanned aerial vehicles were flying at high altitude and are suspected to have been deployed for surveillance purposes. With daybreak, security forces cordoned off the area and began extensive searches to rule out any possibility of weapon or narcotics drops.

Drone activity from across the border has become a persistent challenge for Indian security agencies in recent years, with Pakistan-based groups increasingly using UAVs to smuggle arms and drugs. To counter this, police had last year announced a reward of Rs 3 lakh for actionable information on drone sightings that lead to the recovery of contraband or weapon consignments.