Arms-dropping drones, recovered near Pakistan border, manufactured in China

The model of Hexacopter Drone, which crashed last month on August 13, was ‘U10 KV100-U’designed and manufactured by T Motors, a Chinese company.

Hexacopter drone recovered by Punjab police near Indo-Pak border.

CHANDIGARH: The two drones which air-dropped weapons near the Indo-Pakistan border were made in China. Despite getting a warning in this regard from the counter-intelligence wing of the Punjab police almost a month back, the security agencies kept on 'sleeping' making way for the arms consignment. 

The drones made nine sorties in the Indian territory from Pakistan. The model of Hexacopter Drone, which crashed last month on August 13,  was ‘U10 KV100-U’designed and manufactured by T Motors, a Chinese company. Also, four brick-sized batteries (model Tattu - made in China) were found installed in the Hexacopter. The Airframe of the drone was found to be a make of 'TAROT 680 PRO. This kind of Hexacopter (6 electric motors) has a payload capacity of 21 kilograms and it could have been assembled from parts, which are available commercially-off-the-shelf.

The part of the drone which airdropped weapons from Pakistan near the Indo-Pak border.

The Hexacopter, weighing about 20-25 kilograms had suffered minor damage to one of its ports and motor propellers, most probably from the impact of the crash landing. Parts of white nylon rope were also recovered from the drone.

After the recovery of this drone from Mohawa village, a mere 1.5 kilometres from the Indo-Pak border, a call was made to the Amritsar (Rural) police about a 'fan type object' seen in the paddy fields of a farmer in the village.

On interrogation, the arrested men led the investigators to find the second half-burnt drone. One of the accused Akashdeep Singh revealed that two 9 mm pistols had been smuggled over the half-burnt drone around the beginning of September. The drone had apparently crashed in the Indian territory before it could fly back to Pakistan after dropping arms near the Indo-Pak border.

The foreign handlers, Gurmeet Bagga of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), and KZF chief Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta, who were handling the Akashdeep terror module had informed him about the crashing of this drone inside Indian territory. They had also shared the coordinates of the crash landing site and further directed Akashdeep to go to the crash site and destroy the drone before the police can learn about the weapon deliveries over drones. Accordingly, Akashdeep burnt the drone and also disposed of the steel frame of the drone in a drain.