NEW DELHI
Drones are increasingly becoming a part of the BSF’s daily operations, be it for intercepting intruder flying machines or using these hi-tech night-vision gadgets to outsmart smugglers.
While on the frontier with Pakistan, the BSF has been regularly intercepting these flying machines to curb drug smuggling in Punjab, the guardians of the border on the Bangladesh frontier are using hi-tech drones to curb smuggling of animals across the border.
Within a span of a month, the BSF has foiled another attempt of cattle smuggling on the India-Bangladesh International Border and caught seven cattle. The fresh success was achieved by the sixth Battalion of the BSF under Jalpaiguri Sector of North Bengal Frontier in West Bengal’s Coochbehar district on 15 November when, acting on a tip-off, the drone with night vision was used to keep a close watch on all the suspected areas of cattle smuggling in the Border Outpost Oran.
As per the BSF, at about 5.10 pm, the drone operation observed the movements of six-seven cattle smugglers approaching towards the International Border along with seven cattle corresponding to Dahagram Angrapota Main Pillar 4/11-S. “As and when the cattle smugglers came too close, a BSF party challenged them and tried to apprehend them. But the cattle smugglers fled taking the advantage of darkness, foggy, undulating ground and riverine channel,” an official said.
“Meanwhile, the cattle got scattered. The BSF party thoroughly searched the area and at about 8 pm seized seven cattle with the help of drones with night vision,” said the BSF. The BSF said there has been a drastic change in action against trans-border crimes especially in cattle smuggling and illegal crossing because of the use of drones by the force on the India-Bangladesh border area.
Before this, on 28 September, personnel from the Sixth Battalion of BSF posted at Border Outpost Oran also caught four cattle with the help of drones with night vision capability as the smugglers were trying to smuggle cattle to Bangladesh from India. “Troops of under command Battalions of North Bengal Frontier BSF deployed on India-Bangladesh border under the dynamic leadership of Soorya Kant Sharma, Inspector General of North Bengal Frontier of BSF are maintaining high alertness of highest order on the border to thwart any attempt of anti-national elements to execute their nefarious designs of smuggling, infiltration and exfiltration,” added the BSF. The BSF is mandated to guard the 4,096.70 km India-Bangladesh border running alongWest Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.
Meanwhile, on the north-western frontier the BSF in a joint operation with Punjab Police recovered a “Made in China” drone on Diwali Day on the outskirts of village Bharopal in Amritsar.
The recovered was a Quadcopter (Model-DJI Mavic 3 Classic, made in China) and an attempt by the smugglers to smuggle narcotics via drone was foiled. Earlier, another Pakistani quadcopter was recovered by BSF near village Naushera Dhalla in Tarn Taran district. The drone was recovered in a broken condition from the compound of a house.