Chinese-origin drones from across the Indo-Pak border supplying drugs, arms, and ammunition have become a major headache for the Indian Border Security Force (BSF).
The data analyzed from the drones recovered by the BSF indicates that the majority of the drones originated in Pakistan’s Lahore district and headed for Punjab’s Amritsar district.
Land smuggling, even via underground pipes, has become negligible over the years. Drones are now doing the majority of the influx of weaponry and drugs.
In January 2025, the BSF intercepted 63 drones. In 2024, 260 drones were recovered and sent for forensic analysis.
“The most affected states by the drones are Punjab and Rajasthan. Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, and Abohar in Punjab; and Ganganagar in Rajasthan are the destinations of most of the drones,” a BSF official told the EurAsian Times requesting anonymity. “Naturally the contiguous region in Pakistan – Lahore, Narowal, and Kasur district are the launch pads,” he added.
A forensic investigation of drones shot down in Punjab in 2024 shows that up to 260 flights were conducted to drop consignments in border regions, including Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Ferozepur. As many as 184 drone sorties from Lahore put Amritsar at the top of the list, followed by Ferozepur with 42 and Gurdaspur with 14.
The lab analysis of the drones also indicates the level of collaboration Pakistani authorities have in drone operations. The launch pads of the drones were near the establishments of the Pakistani Rangers.
“The analysis indicates that the drones used don’t have long range and have originated from the nearby regions along the International Border. Also, some of the drones have made multiple sorties to drop the consignments,” the official added.
In recent years, drones smuggling drugs, arms, and ammunition have emerged as a major security threat in Punjab. In 2023, the BSF recovered 110 drones. The number was 260 in 2024, marking a 136.36 percent increase. The force has successfully neutralized 55 percent of drones detected in Punjab, a significant increase from just 3 percent previously.
India has been strengthening its anti-drone defenses along the border, but Pakistani entities have also leveled up their game. The drones intruding from the Pakistani side have not only increased in number but have also become smaller in size, fly up to a height of 1 kilometer, and are not easily detectable.
Earlier, drones were flown with a payload capacity of 3-4 kg, had detectable sound, and could even be viewed visually, but the newer versions could carry only 500 g and emit no sound. Most of the drones are Chinese-made dual-purpose drones.
Drones flown from across the border are a major source of narcotics and ammunition for small operatives working with Pakistan-based terrorist groups. The increase in the number of cross-border drones has coincided with an increase in the number of grenade or IED (improvised explosive device) attacks on the Punjab Police in border districts like Amritsar.
There have been at least 11 such incidents, with at least five incidents reported in the past 20 days, when a police establishment has been attacked by assailants with grenades and other explosives. In 2024 also, Punjab witnessed a wave of attacks on police establishments.
On March 4, the BSF recovered a Glock Pistol in Punjab’s Amritsar district being smuggled by the DJI AIR 3S drone.
Making The Indo-Pak Border Impregnable For Drones
Despite the efforts by the BSF, in conjunction with the Punjab Police, it has not been able to stop all incoming drones. The BSF has deployed Dronaam anti-drone technology.
Developed by Gurutvaa Systems, it employs a modular design capable of adapting to different security scenarios. It can operate as a rifle-style device or a portable system in a backpack configuration and is also suitable for fixed installations. The drones are neutralized using laser rays. The drone’s hardware is jammed with this technology.
The force will be getting a specialised anti-drone unit that will be operational soon.
The vulnerable points along the border are being installed with CCTVs and PTZ (Pan-tilt-zoom) cameras. The fence has become quite old, so a new design fence is being constructed to strengthen the anti-infiltration grid.
MHA has established the Anti-Rogue Drone Technology Committee (ARDTC) under the supervision of DG BSF with a mandate to evaluate the technology available to counter rogue drones. BSF is in the process of procuring more anti-drone systems to be installed in Punjab on the Indo-Pakistan border, for which trials are ongoing.
In addition to these actions, the Punjab Police actively engages local populations in border regions like Pathankot through the Drone Emergency Response System (DERS) initiatives. Village-level defense Committees (VLDCs), which serve as the initiative’s eyes and ears on the ground, are involved.
These committees, working with local police officers, quickly notify authorities and barricade the area when drone activity is discovered, making it impossible to retrieve fallen contraband. A reward scheme that offers Rs 1 lakh for information resulting in the seizure of weapons and drugs has also been implemented.
