SRINAGAR: A suspected unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was recovered from an agricultural field in Jammu and Kashmir’s Samba district on Tuesday, barely hours after the Army detected and jammed an unidentified flying object near the International Border, raising the possibility that both incidents are linked.
The drone was spotted at around 5:50 am in an agricultural field near Devak by a resident of Chak Salaria, who was out on a morning run. Realising the significance of the object, the resident immediately alerted a nearby Army unit, following which security personnel rushed to the spot and secured the drone.
The recovery comes less than nine hours after Army troops deployed in the adjoining Nandpur area detected an unidentified flying object reportedly approaching from the Arnia side at around 9:00 pm on Tuesday. Acting swiftly, the Army activated its anti-drone mechanism and launched electronic jamming measures to neutralise the aerial object before it could proceed further.
Officials suspect the recovered drone is the same object that was intercepted during the overnight operation and believe it may have crash-landed after being disabled by the Army’s jamming system.
The drone has been sent for forensic examination to determine its origin, technical specifications and whether it had been used for any cross-border activity or other unlawful purpose.
Security agencies have intensified surveillance in the border belt while the investigation is underway to establish the complete circumstances surrounding the recovery. [KNT]
