Suspected Pakistani drone seen hovering over forward village in J&K's Samba

Jammu: A suspected Pakistani drone was briefly sighted over a forward area along the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district on Saturday, officials said.

The drone-like object came from the direction of Pakistan around 7 pm and was seen hovering over Kandral village in Ramgarh area for a couple of minutes, they said.

According to officials, after the drone movement was spotted, security forces launched a search operation in the area to ensure there were no airdrops of illicit payload like narcotics or weapons.

However, nothing objectionable was found during the operation, they said.

Earlier on January 9, security forces recovered an arms consignment, dropped by a drone that originated in Pakistan, in Paloora village of Ghagwal in Samba. The recovery included two pistols, three magazines, 16 rounds and a grenade.

Drone movement was also noticed in several forward areas along the Line of Control in Rajouri and Poonch districts over the past week amid heightened security ahead of Republic Day celebrations. The Army fired at similar unmanned ariel vehicles at three places in the twin border districts, and also lodged a protest with their Pakistan counterpart.