A surveillance drone was successfully intercepted by Indian armed forces near the village of Mand in Punjab’s Jalandhar on the evening of May 12, according to Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal. The drone was brought down by the armed forces at around 9:20 PM, and an expert team is now searching for the debris.
Deputy Commissioner Aggarwal urged residents not to approach the debris and to notify the police if they come across it. He further confirmed that no further drone activity had been detected in Jalandhar since 10 PM.
The Indian Army clarified that there were no reports of enemy drones operating in Indian territory. The situation is reported to be calm, with the armed forces in full control, as per updates from ANI. Authorities assured the public that the situation remains secure and asked residents to remain calm, warning against the firing of firecrackers, which had been reported in some areas. Strict police action will be taken against those attempting to create panic.
As a precautionary measure, a power cut was implemented in Jalandhar after 9 PM, particularly in areas around Suranassi, following reports of drone sightings. However, the deputy commissioner confirmed there was no total blackout and that the situation remained under control. Similar precautionary blackouts were also initiated in Amritsar and Hoshiarpur, where an air-raid siren was sounded in Amritsar. Due to the blackout, an IndiGo flight from Amritsar to Delhi was diverted back to Delhi.
These precautionary measures come after heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, marked by intense cross-border drone and missile strikes along the Line of Control and international border. Following India’s Operation Sindoor, which was launched in retaliation for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, both countries had agreed to halt military actions on May 10, but Pakistan violated the ceasefire just hours later.
