The Border Security Force (India) faces a drone menace from various organized criminals and nefarious entities across the India-Pakistan Border. The most affected zones include the state of Punjab and the city of Jammu in Northern India. Many unscrewed aerial vehicles have been found which carry many illegal items, including arms, counterfeit currency, narcotics, and ammunition. These activities have been in progress since 2020 and multiplied in 2022. These Drones are helpful as they provide anonymity and can pass through frontiers easily by attaining sufficient height. The Director General of the BSF, Pankaj Kumar Singh, has stated that the BSF in response has developed a state-of-the-art forensics laboratory and institute which will help them in studying drone forensics. With the availability of such technologies, security agencies can track flight paths and the addresses/location of criminals. Used a considerable amount (50 Lakhs) to develop this facility. Additionally, he stated that “we found flightpaths, take-off and landing points with coordinated messages and realized the fact that there is an information mine.
Initially, the DG stated that the BSF grappled with the challenge of not knowing what to do in the wake of such an important matter and had no clue about the coming and going of drones in and across the borders. He added, “We realize that these drones have chips similar to those of computational devices like computers and mobile phones. As digital forensics help solve cyber-crimes, we also got our answer”. The BSF has developed good coordination with the “Punjab Police” and the Narcotic Control Bureau. Working in tandem, they conduct depth patrols at the frontiers to check droppings by unscrewed aerial vehicles. The BSF Chief has remarked that this is being done to prevent people from coming to the borders and picking up the landed droppings. The Border Security Force is a paramilitary force of the Republic of India. It was created to defend India’s Border Area and frontlines. It has been designated to patrol and protect India’s borders, especially India’s Western border with Pakistan, which runs through Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Secondly, it is very active on India’s border with Bangladesh. India has the longest contiguous land border with Bangladesh. It comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The BSF has its cadre, but the Director General (DG) is always a decorated and experienced officer from the Indian Police Service (IPS). The BSF also established a drone repair lab in New Delhi in September 2021. The DG has stated that the force has developed a new scheme of providing cash rewards to its border teams who shoot down incoming drones. According to the DG, a total of Eleven drones were shot down by the teams in 2022, attractive incentives were given to them, and there is a high degree of enthusiasm in these teams. He commented that this problem is very acute, and the further and detailed interrogation of the captured. The apprehended has revealed that the organized criminals have chosen other spots and places where there is no scope for placing anti-drone equipment and teams due to border demarcation (fencing, razor wire etc.).
