AMRITSAR: Operation Sindoor put brakes on drone intrusions for a while but Pakistani smugglers have returned with upgraded tactics and are pushing drones deeper into Indian territory with alarming accuracy.
"Post Op Sindoor, there was a temporary lull in cross-border drone intrusions. However, these activities have now resumed with greater precision as Pakistani smugglers are deploying drones that penetrate deeper into Indian territory to drop drugs, arms and ammunition," said BSF DIG AK Vidyarthi.
According to sources, airdropping earlier was often close to the international border - around a kilometre in - but now Pakistani drones have been observed as far as 2km to 2.5km or even more inside Indian territory.
Pak drones fly at higher altitudes near border to avoid detectionA source said, “During Op Sindoor, priorities were broader — it wasn’t just about curbing cross-border smuggling but more about preventing drone and missile attacks. Smuggling activity from across the border significantly decreased since Pakistani smugglers lacked local operatives on the Indian side to retrieve dropped consignments.”
But then, why have cross-border drone intrusions increased after Op Sindoor? As per sources, Pakistani smugglers have equipped themselves with more advanced Chinese drones, while the anti-drone technology deployed on the Indian border has not been as effective as it should be.
Currently, drones are often detected only by their sound or spotted visually, after which information is relayed to the anti-drone team. The system is then activated to jam the drone or sever its connection with the operator in Pakistan. Such interceptors should ideally be placed every few kilometres along the international border in Punjab to instantly detect an incoming drone — its direction, speed, altitude and other details — so that it can be jammed and forced into the ground, said sources.
Asked why Pakistani smugglers were trying to push drones deeper into Indian territory, sources pointed out BSF had intensified patrolling and tightened security and surveillance after Op Sindoor. By sending consignments deeper into Indian territory, smugglers seek to ensure receivers (collectors) are further away from the international border, minimising the chance of being detected by BSF patrols.
Nowadays, Pakistani drone pilots tend to fly drones at higher altitudes near the border to avoid detection. Once the drones cross into Indian territory, they drop to a lower altitude and follow zigzag routes to dodge surveillance. Drones are also intentionally crashed once they reach the drop zone.