Jaipur: In one of the largest recoveries of munitions dropped by drone from across the border with Pakistan, Rajasthan police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) early Tuesday recovered a consignment containing nearly 7 kg of explosives, suspected to be RDX, two Turkiye-made handguns and over 600 rounds of ammunition in Rawla subdivision of Sriganganagar district.ANTF IG Vikas Kumar said the consignment comprised separate packages dropped by a drone that made three sorties from across the border. Besides the explosives, arms and ammunition, it contained materials used in the construction of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), he added.The presence of suspected RDX, a high-grade explosive, has widened the scope of the investigation into the case. Investigators said they are trying to establish whether the consignment was intended for use in a terror plot or criminal activity, or a possible convergence of both.Two men with allegedly serious criminal antecedents in Punjab have been arrested in connection with the recovery, with ANTF currently mapping their recent movements, phone records and local contacts. Officials have refused to divulge their identities in view of the ongoing investigation into the case.Tuesday’s recovery follows a nearly month-long intelligence-gathering operation by ANTF, conducted in coordination with local police and other security agencies.Officials said Tuesday’s consignment represents a sharp escalation from earlier drone drops in Rajasthan’s border belt, which typically used to be limited to narcotics and small arms.ANTF suspects it may have been headed for Punjab, though other destinations have not been ruled out.The agency is also examining whether the delivery was linked to criminal gangs operating across Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, including networks tied to the Lawrence Bishnoi-Rohit Godara syndicate.Rajasthan’s border belt has been the scene of repeated drone drops over the past two years. Weapons dropped from across the border have previously been traced to criminal networks, while others have been linked back to Pakistan-based terror operative Shehzad Bhatti.The location of the latest recovery is also significant.Rawla lies in a belt where rural road networks and highways used as traditional drug corridors intersect, offering multiple routes for quickly moving arms and narcotics consignments away from the border.Sriganganagar’s Shrikaranpur area had earlier emerged as a major landing point for cross-border drone drops. As surveillance here was progressively tightened, security agencies said the activity shifted towards the district’s Hindumalkot and Kesarsinghpur areas.The Rawla haul suggests that those making drone deliveries from Pakistan may now be testing fresh landing zones and heavier payloads.GFXCross-Border ConsignmentThe consignment was dropped by a drone that made three separate sorties from across the border into SriganganagarIt contained 7 kg of suspected RDX, two Turkiye-made handguns and over 600 rounds of ammunitionInvestigators are trying to establish if the munitions were intended for use in a terror plot or criminal activityThe haul suggests those behind cross-border drone deliveries are testing fresh landing zones and heavier payloads
