Overview
- Indian Army troops detected a drone over forward posts in the Balakote area of Mendhar and fired about nine rounds late Monday night, but the aircraft hovered briefly and returned to Pakistan‑occupied Kashmir without being brought down.
- Security forces carried out an extensive ground search early Tuesday to check for any airdropped payload or wreckage and found nothing suspicious or recoverable.
- Officials say the drone’s significant altitude made it hard to intercept with small arms, illustrating the technical limits of immediate troop responses to high‑flying unmanned aerial vehicles.
- The Poonch intrusion follows a May 26 recovery of a drone in Kathua’s Hatli belt, a case that police and investigators led by Additional Superintendent of Police Sunil Kesar are still probing for origin and purpose.
- Authorities have increased surveillance and anti‑drone measures along sensitive sectors of Jammu and Kashmir, and security agencies remain on heightened alert for further reconnaissance or smuggling attempts that could affect local communities and pilgrim movements.