Punjab on high alert as police suspect that it was dropped by drone from Pakistan
PUNJAB Police said on Monday that the State was on high alert after a tiffin box bomb packed with over 2 kg of RDX was recovered from a village in Amritsar which they suspect was dropped by a drone flying in from Pakistan. Director-General of Police Dinkar Gupta said the bomb could be set off through a remote device or a timed mechanism. “The tiffin box bomb can be described as an Improvised Explosive Device. The IED was created in a double-chambered tiffin box with attractive pictures on it. Last evening, the recovery was made near Dalake village under Lopoke Police Station in Amritsar,” Gupta told media persons.
“Our assessment is that this bomb has been delivered through a drone across the border,” he added. According to police, some hand grenades and cartridges were also found from the bag containing the tiffin bomb days ahead of Independence Day. The DGP said a former village sarpanch of Bacchiwind had informed police about some drone movements in the area. Punjab Police is conducting searches in several border villages after the explosives were found. The tiffin bomb had a switch mechanism and could provide a timed explosion. It also had a magnetic mechanism with two U-shaped magnets and a printed circuit board which can help in the remote signals.
This was to be used, maybe for a high-value target. However, it cannot be said at this stage whether the explosives were to target any top political leader or meant for some other place and Punjab was just a transit state, he said while replying to a question. “This is a very sinister development. A lot of pistols, hand grenades have been seized over the last five years,” he said, adding the threat posed by drones has emerged as a major security challenge. “Whether it is BSF or other agencies, they are making efforts and everyone is alive to this threat from drones, which is the most potent threat at this time,” he said, adding that the Punjab Police was “working closely” with the NIA and BSF.
