The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has been investigating multiple cases related to the smuggling of drugs, explosives and weapons from Pakistan into Indian territory using drones, is likely to look into Monday’s seizure of a drone by the Border Security Force (BSF) in Punjab’s Gurdaspur for clues. It carried a consignment of one-kg heroin.
The agency has so far detected two modules comprising alleged members of banned terror outfits. Based on the findings, it has arraigned 12 accused persons in these cases.
The NIA had recently filed a chargesheet against six accused persons in connection with the seizure of three improvised explosive devices (IEDs), one pistol with two magazines, 31 rounds and ₹1.30 lakh in cash at Bastara toll plaza in Haryana’s Madhuban. The materials were allegedly seized from Gurpreet Singh, Amandeep Singh, Parminder Singh and Bhupinder Singh.
The consignment, concealed in a specially designed cavity in a car, was being transported to Adilabad in Telangana. During the probe, the NIA identified two more accused named Rajbir Singh and Harwinder Singh Sandhu. As it turned out, the explosives, arms and ammunition had been sent by Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu, using drones.
In another case, the agency chargesheeted one Gurmej Singh, a resident of Ferozepur in Punjab, for allegedly being part of a module involved in the smuggling of drugs, weapons, ammunition, explosives and IEDs sent from across the border by International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) chief Lakhbir Singh Rode and his associates via drones.
In the chargesheet, the NIA alleged that the smuggled consignments had been received by ISYF members, Darvesh Singh and Harmesh Singh, and transferred to two others named Gurmukh Singh and Gagandeep Singh, for carrying out terror activities in Punjab and other parts of India. Gurmej, also an alleged member of ISYF, in connivance with his Pakistan-based handlers of ISYF, his sibling Harmesh and cousin Darvesh, allegedly circulated the proceeds of drugs for funding terror activities.
In the same case, in March 2021, the NIA had chargesheeted five alleged Khalistani terrorists, including Harmesh, Darvesh, Gurmukh, Gagandeep and Lakhbir Singh Rode.
In August last year, the agency had also conducted searches in Srinagar, Jammu, Kathua, Samba and Doda of Jammu & Kashmir, in connection with the interception of a drone used for delivery of arms, ammunition and explosives by a key module of Lashkar-e-Taiba’s offshoot The Resistance Front (TRF) in Samba.
“These weapon consignments were being further supplied to TRF terrorists in Kashmir for execution of terrorist attacks on minorities, migrants and security forces,” the NIA had earlier said.
According to BSF data, there was an over 200% increase in drone sightings along the Indo-Pak border in 2022 compared to 2021, increasing to 311 from 104. There were 258 sightings in Punjab, followed by 25 in Jammu, 23 in Rajasthan and five in Gujarat. In 2021, 64 drones were spotted in Punjab, 31 in Jammu, seven in Rajasthan and two in Gujarat.
In the past six months, 60 drones were seen by the BSF personnel along the border in Punjab’s Amritsar, 55 in Ferozpur, 39 in Gurdaspur and 22 in Abohar. The force shot down 20 drones last year.
