Pakistani terror groups trying to attack India with drones: Report

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Sep 05, 2015: In the backdrop of strained ties between New Delhi and Islamabad, reports suggest that terrorists infiltrating into India from Pakistan might use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)/unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) for attacks.

To prevent the situation, the government has finalised new guidelines for flying such objects.

The strong policy for the UAVs/UASs, including paragliders, hot air balloons, remote-controlled flying devices, microlight aircrafts etc, will be unveiled soon, The Times of India quoted sources as saying.

During the interrogation of terrorists, including Lashkar-e-Toiba’s Syed Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, Indian Mujahideen’s Syed Ismael Afaque Lanka and Khalistani militant leader Jagtar Singh Tara, investigators came to know about the threat India faces from paragliders.

The daily says that Jundal, the co-conspirator of 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, had revealed that LeT provides aerial training to select cadres. Some reports suggest that Pakistan’s spy agency, ISI, also plays a role in training LeT cadres in parachute jumping.

It is learnt that the terror group is making efforts to obtain equipment for paragliding from companies in China and UAE, and technology to build drones from companies in Pakistan.

Afaque, the Indian Mujahideen man arrested in Bengaluru in January, has, meanwhile, told interrogators that he has an interest in paragliding. In fact, he had undergone a five-day paragliding training course in November 2013 in Goa. Two months later, he bought two second-hand paragliders from the US.

He then purchased a safety harness from Huzaifah Power Tools, Bengaluru.

Jagtar Singh Tara, who was held in Bangkok on January 5 this year, revealed the ISI’s designs to liaise with Pakistan-based Sikh militants to obtain motorised paragliding equipment from Spain, says the daily.

The paragliders were to be launched from Pakistan to drop arms/explosives consignments here. This consignment was to be used by identified Pakistani associates to stage a fidayeen attack on Dera Sachcha Sauda at Sirsa, added the daily.

Luckily, the group could not assemble the equipment in semi-knocked down kit in a proper way and the glider did not take off.

An inquiry in Spain in this regard revealed that a motorised paraglider with a capacity to carry two persons was to be procured for 10 lakh Pakistani rupees. The equipment could carry a payload of 150 kg and cover a distance of nearly 70km, reports the daily.

 

Courtesy: Zeenews