A DRONE that was being used to smuggle drugs into the country was shot down near the India-Pakistan international border in Amritsar on Sunday in a joint operation by Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police.

Five drones have been recovered in Tarn Taran and Amritsar areas since November 29.

The hexacopter was carrying five kg of heroin and was shot down in Kakkar village, Punjab Police said. The police have rounded-up two persons from the spot when they were trying to escape, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amritsar Rural Swapan Sharma said. Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said the hybrid drone, estimated to be worth Rs 10 lakh, was assembled with parts manufactured in the US and China and was equipped with hi-tech features including a long-lasting battery backup and infrared-based night vision camera and GPS.

Yadav said after noticing the drone movement, police teams from Amritsar Rural district immediately shared the pin-pointed inputs with the BSF and jointly conducted an intensive search operation in Kakkar village, which is just 2 km away from the border.

He said the police teams fired at least 12 rounds from AK-47 to shoot down the drone. He said this is the sixth drone recovered in less than two months. Investigations are on to ascertain the identity of the Pakistani smugglers, who sent the consignment via drone, and also their Indian associates who were to receive the contraband, the SSP said.