Three Indian passengers were intercepted at Delhi airport with 10 professional-grade drones, described as military-grade unmanned aerial vehicles, equipped with thermal imaging and laser range finders. The drones, valued at over Rs 1.03 crore, along with an iPhone 18 Pro Max, were recovered from passengers arriving from Hong Kong. The seizure was made by Customs officers based on intelligence, as the drones were brought into India without declaration or payment of duty.
What must India do now?
The individual identified as Syed Vaqar Ashraf, charged on nine counts, transferred more than $62,000 (Rs 41.4 lakh) to a US company in different money transfers from Pakistan between 2012 and 2014, towards the purchase of a series of high-end drones -- with an estimated cost of more than $340,000, according to court documents.
Drones have added a new dimension to security threats from terror groups and investigations into the attack on the Jammu IAF station last month show the involvement of "non-State actors" supported by State actors such as the ordnance factory of Pakistan, Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh said on Tuesday.
Aeron Systems, founded in 2008 by Ashvani Shukla and Abhijit Bokil, is looking to contribute to programmes such as the Tejas light combat aircraft