In a significant breakthrough, the Crime Branch has dismantled an unprecedented ISI-backed arms smuggling network employing modified commercial drones to transport high-end foreign-made weapons from Pakistan into northern India.

This marks a troubling escalation in cross-border smuggling tactics, with drones customised for extended range and enhanced payload capacity flying at low altitudes to evade radar detection, particularly during late-night hours deepening security concerns for the Delhi-NCR region and adjoining states.​

Investigations revealed that the drones delivered consignments to pre-selected GPS coordinates near vulnerable stretches of the Punjab border fence. On the Indian side, a well-organised and efficient receiver network rapidly retrieved the dropped cargo to minimise exposure time, facilitating swift movement to safe houses and subsequent distribution among organised crime factions operating in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh. This receiver network’s operational efficiency simplifies logistics for the terror operatives, underscoring the sophistication of the smuggling chain.​

The consignments typically comprised high-grade arms and ammunition, including sophisticated pistols such as Turkiye-made PX-5.7 models used by special forces, indicating the smuggling of highly lethal weaponry.

To avoid electronic detection, shipments were wrapped in specialised carbon-coated paper, and the entire operation utilised encrypted communications. Drop locations and timings were frequently shifted, and financial transactions were routed exclusively through anonymous hawala networks and proxy accounts, illustrating a highly secretive, transnational organised crime structure orchestrated with ISI involvement.​

Key operatives linked to this network have been arrested, including individuals with ties to notorious criminal gangs in the Delhi-NCR region. The operation also spotlighted the role of US-based gangster Sonu Khatri, who allegedly coordinated the module and remains at large, with a lookout circular issued for his apprehension.

The dismantling of the network included the seizure of 10 semi-automatic foreign pistols and 92 live cartridges, breaking a supply channel that previously fuelled crime groups with Pakistan-made copies of pistols and now includes original foreign weapons.​

Retired senior police officials emphasised that this form of drone-assisted arms smuggling represents a strategic diversion from heavily fortified border defences, establishing a new high-tech terror corridor. It exposes how ISI leverages organised crime networks and advanced technology to deepen destabilising activities within India’s border regions and urban centres.​

The crackdown has prompted intensified efforts by security agencies to curb this sophisticated smuggling method, while noting ongoing challenges posed by advanced drone technologies equipped with fail-safe return capabilities, complicating interception along the India-Pakistan border. This case highlights the evolving nature of cross-border security threats requiring constant technological and tactical adaptation.​

In conclusion, the use of commercial drones by ISI-backed entities to smuggle foreign-made arms into India via GPS-coordinated drops has unveiled a complex, secure logistics network involving encrypted communications, covert financial channels, and efficient receiver networks. This operation not only neutralised a significant arms supply line but also revealed the intricate fusion of organised crime and transnational terrorist logistics that threaten national security.​

This detailed case serves as a critical alert for the ongoing need to strengthen border security and counter-drone technology to address technologically advanced smuggling methods that circumvent traditional defences.

Based On TOI Report