GUWAHATI: The Border Security Forces have started using Israeli drones and thermal imagers to check smuggling and illegal infiltration in Assam’s Dhubri sector.
A major part of the of the Indo-Bangladesh border passes through a riverine stretch, making it difficult to establish fences.
These drones are equipped with day-and-night vision cameras that can capture images within a range of 2 km from a maximum height of 150 metres.
The 61-km-long border comprises sand bars and multiple river channels that make border patrolling a difficult task, especially during the monsoons.
Assam shares 263-km border with Bangladesh, of which 119.1 km is riverine.
"Cattle smuggling and drug trafficking activities are usually carried out at night. These newly employed drones will be able to send images of smugglers hiding in the vicinity of the border area during day time," said Inspector General (IG) of BSF's Guwahati Frontier Piyush Mordia.
