Border Security Force (BSF) personnel have shot down a Pakistani drone that was carrying drugs along the international border in the Amritsar district of Punjab state, media reports cited a BSF official as saying on Tuesday.

The reports said the drone was seen on Monday night in the Amritsar village of Bhaini Rajputtan.

“Troops of the BSF's 144 Corps conducted an operation in the Rajatal border outpost (BOP) area in which a drone has been shot down. Two packets suspected to be of heroin have been seized,” BSF Commandant (Amritsar), Ajay Kumar Mishra, said.

The paramilitary force seized the black-coloured drone, a 'DJ Matrice 300 RTK' quadcopter, with an attached payload of 2.1kg suspected heroin attached through an iron ring, the official added.

A small torch that was switched on was also found attached to the drone so that drug smugglers could find the consignment and pick it up from the field on the Indian side.

Drug Smuggling Across India-Pakistan Border

This is the fifth reported interception of a "rogue" unmanned aerial vehicle along the Punjab border since 19 May:

Three drones were shot down by the BSF troops on Friday night, of which two were recovered and the third fell into Pakistani territory.

Later on Saturday night, troops intercepted another drone and recovered 3.3kg of suspected narcotics.

Punjab shares a border of more than 500km with Pakistan that is guarded by the BSF, and drones and unmanned aerial vehicles regularly fly over from the neighbouring country into India carrying drugs and ammunition, causing a major headache for security agencies over the past three or four years.