Pakistan sends high-end drone to airdrop drugs in Punjab; it is capable of spying too

GURDASPUR: Continuing aerial incursions into India's airspace, Pakistan-based smugglers have now used one of the best commercial-class drones with an advanced encryption system (AES) for smuggling drugs. It can be used for spying besides airdropping drugs and other contraband.
DIG, BSF, Gurdaspur sector, Prabhakar Joshi on Sunday said troops gunned down the drone from Pakistan near Ghaniakae border outpost, which falls in Dera Baba Nanak area of Batala in Punjab's Gurdaspur district. A search led to the seizure of a quadcopter/drone - DJI Matrice 300 RTK (made in China) -- with a payload capacity of approximately 9kg, a payload release mechanism and a reflector. It was found carrying four packets of narcotics, suspected to be heroin, in one big packet weighing over 2.7kg wrapped in yellow adhesive tape.
Sources said the drone has one of the best photography and videography techniques with a flying time of 55 minutes.
It can not only record movement on the ground with its high zoom level lenses for closer and sharper photographs, but its tracking system can also follow any moving object, including human beings, and transmit it to the drone pilot across the fence up to a distance of 15kms with help of specially devices drone pilot apps.
“This drone also has the capability to auto delete the data which makes it near impossible to know about its previous flights or extract other data during its forensic analysis,” said sources. They also exhorted the need to install state-of-the-art counter-drone technology all along the IndiaPakistan international border in Punjab for effective management of cross-border unmanned aerial ventures.
On Saturday, the BSF had foiled a smuggling bid and seized a consignment of 20kg heroin, arms and ammunition left behind by the crossborder ‘smugglers’ near Khasawali village in the district.