A Pakistani drone attempting to enter Indian territory across the Rajasthan border was shot down by the Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday, a defence official said.
"One Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) intrusion was reported in Ganganagar sector at around 7.30 p.m., on Saturday. The drone was engaged and brought down," said Col Sombit Ghosh, PRO Defence Rajasthan.
This was the second intrusion on the Rajasthan border on the same day. On Saturday morning, another drone had tried to enter the Indian territory at around 5 am at the Hindumalkot border near Ganganagar sector.
According to the BSF, the moment it was sighted, the troopers started firing, forcing it to return. The drone was shot down by a Sukhoi-30MKI. Reports by NDTV state that villagers in the region heard heavy firing late Saturday evening while the IAF was trying to bring down the drone.
In the last 11 days, Pakistan has sent four drones to the Rajasthan border. On February 26, a drone on the Barmer border was shot down, while on March 4, another UAV was shot down by a Sukhoi.
On Saturday, security agencies also arrested a suspected spy, identified as Fataan Khan, a resident of Sonu village in Jaisalmer, said Kiran Kang, Jaisalmer District Superintendent of Police.
These intrusions come at a time when tensions are high and the relationship is strained between India and Pakistan. On February 26, the Indian Air Force had entered Pakistan to attack the biggest training camp of terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad, which was behind the attack in Pulwama which martyred over 40 CRPF jawans. The surgical strike prompted a dogfight between the Indian Air Force and Pakistan Air Force resulting in both the sides losing a jet each and an Indian pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, getting captured by the Pakistan security forces.
