Eight drones fitted with cameras have been recovered by Indian paramilitary soldiers in Bihar, along the border with Nepal, three days after a drone attack on an air force base in Jammu and Kashmir.
Three smugglers were arrested by the Sashastra Seema Bal for carrying the Chinese-made drones. The car in which they were travelling was stopped by the soldiers in Motihari based on intelligence inputs and searched thoroughly, the police said.
The drones were found hidden in the vehicle, the police said.
East Champaran SSP Naveen Chandra Jha said the eight drone cameras were being transported in a WagonR when the men were caught.
"Two of the arrested smugglers live in Sitamarhi and one is from Kundwa Chainpur. We are investigating all aspects of why the cameras were being brought. The entire matter will be clearly known only after investigation," Mr Jha said.
Senior police officer Jitendra Kumar said the men when intercepted did not give relevant information on the use of the drones. "A case of theft has also been filed," Mr Kumar said, according to news agency ANI.
"The accused are locals and have claimed that they were taking the drones for wedding videography. Only a detailed investigation can reveal the true facts," he said.
There is increased focus on checking the use of drone after the attack on an air force base in Jammu region on Sunday.
Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba is likely involved in the drone attack, the Jammu and Kashmir police chief has said. The same group may also be behind the drones spotted near a military facility on Monday, J&K police chief Dilbagh Singh told NDTV.
With inputs from ANI
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