BSF identifies ‘hot spots’ of Pak drone activity in Punjab: ADG

The officer added that special sensors capable of detecting underground tunnels in the Jammu sector would also be procured to foil infiltration attempts from the Pakistani side of the international border.

“In 2025, BSF recovered 275 drones which came from Pakistan, seized more than 380 kg of heroin and more than 200 weapons, including sophisticated automatic rifles. Apart from this, 53 Pakistani intruders/smugglers were apprehended,” the ADG said.

Referring to recent floods that affected Punjab, the ADG said that due to the floods, roughly 60 km of fencing was damaged at many places and washed away. “At some places, it was not possible to go to the border due to waterlogging. Anti-national elements made attempts to take advantage of the situation, but BSF and Punjab Police conducted an operation and recovered arms,” he said.

Answering a question, the ADG conceded that in this situation, with so many gaps and little manpower at disposal, it might be possible that certain gaps could have been exploited by anti-national elements.

“Border domination coordination is done with all agencies. We have excellent coordination with the Punjab Police on where to deploy anti-drone systems,” he said.

About technology being used by Pakistanis in their drones, Khandare said the drone technology is evolving, and so is the anti-drone technology. “Many times, there is no accurate result. What we have noticed since 2019 till now, the analysis shows that drone size has gone down. Consignment size has also gone down, and cheap drones are being used. Bigger drones had a more sound signature and could easily be detected,” he said.

The ADG said the average size of the payload on drones coming from Pakistan is 500 gm. “Bigger drones also come, but the height at which they operate is higher, so the sound is less. Frequency-hopping drones are also being used,” he said.

“We are strengthening the anti-infiltration grid, especially in Jammu. For that purpose, two additional battalions have been deployed in the Jammu region to prevent infiltration, which is our primary concern,” the ADG said.

All riverine gaps are being plugged, command posts and a well-lit environment are being created with enough people to stop smuggling, he said.

The BSF Western Command is responsible for border management at the India-Pakistan border along with five frontiers – Kashmir, Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat — and three subsidiary training centres.

The ADG said BSF played a pivotal role in Op Sindoor by retaliating against Pakistani aggression, defending border posts, destroying enemy infrastructure and thwarting infiltration attempts. “BSF effectively countered Pakistani drones used for surveillance and potential attacks by deploying anti-drone systems to detect, jam and neutralise intruding platforms,” he said.