Arms dropped by drone recovered near International Border in J&K ahead of Republic Day

Srinagar: The armed forces on Saturday said an arms consignment, apparently dropped by a drone from across the border, was recovered from a forward area near the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district.

The recovered consignment included two pistols, three magazines, 16 rounds and a grenade. Officials said the weapons may have been dropped with the intent of disrupting the upcoming Republic Day celebrations.

A joint team of the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Jammu and Kashmir Police's Special Operations Group launched a search operation in Paloora village of the Ghagwal area in Samba late Friday night following a tip-off about suspected drone movement from across the border.


During the search, personnel found a packet wrapped in yellow tape on the banks of a stream. The packet was opened with the help of a bomb disposal squad, leading to the recovery of the weapons, officials said.

In a separate incident, a suspicious pigeon was caught in a forward village near the Line of Control in the Akhnoor sector of Jammu. The pale grey pigeon, with two black bars painted on each wing, was found carrying red and yellow rings on its legs inscribed with "Rehmat Sarkar" and "Rizwan 2025", followed by certain numbers.

Officials said the pigeon's wings were also stamped. The bird was later handed over to the Pallanwala police station for further investigation.

In another related development, locals spotted an object suspected to be a drone near a nallah in the Gorkha Nagar area of Bagh-e-Bahu in Jammu. A police team rushed to the spot and secured the object for detailed examination to ascertain its nature and origin.