Jaipur: Rajasthan Police is in talks with Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) to procure its own anti-drone system (ADS) for Sriganganagar and Bikaner districts to counter Pakistani drones dropping heroin, firearms and explosives across the international border.Speaking to TOI, a senior police officer said the state police was discussing the proposal with MHA. The move aims to create an additional layer of defence alongside Border Security Force’s (BSF) existing anti-drone capabilities.“The BSF has its own anti-drone systems, but an additional layer is required,” sources said, citing the Oct 12 incident in Sriganganagar, when three drone sorties reportedly dropped a consignment containing suspected RDX, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), Turkish-made Zigana pistols and ammunition.An anti-drone system typically combines technologies to detect, track and neutralise unmanned aerial vehicles. Depending on its configuration, radar and radio-frequency sensors can help identify suspicious drones, while cameras enable visual verification. Autonomous drones and those operating without conventional radio links can be harder to counter.The threat extends beyond narcotics smuggling. The Narcotics Control Bureau’s Vision Document on Narcotics Control (2026-2029) highlights the Afghanistan-Pakistan narcotics corridor as a major source of heroin trafficking into India, with Rajasthan as one of its targets.Police sources said local gangs and couriers help retrieve drone-dropped consignments, often wrapped in plastic, and transport them towards Punjab. Investigators are examining how these networks connect cross-border handlers with recipients inside India.Gangsters may also exploit these channels to procure foreign-made firearms and ammunition. Vishal Pachar, described by police as a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi syndicate, is among those associated with investigations into such weapons networks. His specific role in individual drone drops requires case-specific verification.The proposed system would strengthen surveillance and response capabilities inside the state. However, officials would still need to coordinate with BSF and pursue ground-level intelligence to identify couriers, trace recipients and dismantle the networks behind the drops.
