J&K Police begins house to house verification of people
By Bunty Mahajan
Jammu: NSG and CISF police chiefs M A Ganapathy and Sudhir Kumar Saxena, respectively, who on Wednesday arrived in Jammu to probe Sunday attack at the Air Force Station here, held high level meeting with Jammu and Kashmir Police and discussed the issue of drone threat.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Police started physical verification of people living in areas around the IAF station. Sources said that teams of police have started moving from house to house collecting details of people living in every house including their names, age, profession and even their mobile phone number so as to verify the antecedents of the people living around the important defence installation.
To avoid the recurrence of such attacks, a Drone Monitoring & Jammer system has been installed in IAF Station Jammu. This Anti Drone System will be established at all vital security forces installations in Jammu division, sources said.
Two explosive devices were air-dropped early Sunday by suspected drones at the IAF facility – one of which fell on a building creating a crater in the rood and other exploded in an open area. Two IAF personnel also had sustained minor injury.
Police sources suspect Lashkar-e-Toiba to be behind the attack, adding that two drones appear to have come from across the border and they returned after dropping the payloads. However, the possibility of a local handler also is not ruled out.
Meanwhile, For the third day on Wednesday, drones were spotted at three places on the outskirts of Jammu city keeping police and other security agencies on the tenter hooks.
Giving details, sources said that the first drone was sighted at 9.23 pm Tuesday night at Miran Sahib. The second and third time, drone was sighted over Kaluchak and Kunjwani areas around 4.40 am and 4.52 am Wednesday, respectively.
Ever since the drone attack at Indian Air Force Station in Jammu during wee hours of Sunday, drone sighting over some areas has become a regular feature.
On Tuesday morning, a drone was sighted over Ratnuchak, Kaluchak and Kunjwani areas, a day after Army claimed to have spotted drones flying over Kaluchak and Ratnuchak military stations and opened fire making them to fly away. An Army PRO Lt Colonel Devender Anand said said “a major threat was averted by the alter ness and proactive approach of troops. The security forces are on high alert”.
However, during the past three days, police and security forces have not found any drone despite searches in various areas.
The Rajouri district magistrate R K Shavan has imposed ban of the sale, purchase and flying of drone in the border district, saying that those who already own it shall deposit the same with police station concerned against proper receipt.
However, the government agencies using drones for mapping, surveys or surveillance shall inform the local police station incharge and the executive magistrate, he added.
