Suspected Pak drones spotted over J&K border areas; Search ops launched: Reports

Security forces detected movement of suspected drones in several forward areas along the International Border (IB) and Line of Control (LoC) in Samba, Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday evening, triggering heightened vigilance and ground search operations.

Officials said the flying objects were observed entering Indian territory from the Pakistan side, hovering briefly over border villages before returning. Following the sightings, security forces launched coordinated search operations to check for possible drops or infiltration attempts.

In Rajouri district, army personnel guarding the Nowshera sector opened fire using medium and light machine guns after spotting a suspected drone over Gania-Kalsian village around 6.35 pm. Around the same time, another drone with a blinking light was seen over Khabbar village in Teryath, moving from the direction of Dharmsal in Kalakote towards Bharakh.

Similar activity was reported from other border areas. A drone-like object hovered for several minutes over Chak Babral village in the Ramgarh sector of Samba around 7.15 pm, while another object was seen moving from Tain towards Topa in the Mankote sector along the LoC in Poonch district at about 6.25 pm.

The sightings come days after security forces recovered an arms consignment allegedly dropped by a Pakistan-origin drone near the IB in Samba district. The recovery included two pistols, three magazines, 16 rounds and a grenade, prompting intensified security measures along the border, reports said.