Govt to procure anti-drone systems for Gadchiroli

Nagpur: Close on the heels of Maoists stepping up use of drones for air surveillance, the state government is learnt to expedite the purchase procedure for anti-drone systems for Gadchiroli and Gondia.
Naxal range DIG Sandip Patil said the drone jammers would be used to blunt out the rebels’ plan to use them for their surveillance or various strategic usages.“Our system would be good enough to disrupt their (Maoists) drones’ signals and frequency wavelengths. We will bring their drones down,” Patil said, adding police are cautious now to thwart any plans of the Maoists’ during the ongoing ‘naxal Saptah’ or martyrs’ week between July 28 and August 3 every year.
Last year in September, mysterious drones in airspace over some south Gadchiroli police stations had left the cops guessing. Repeated sightings of drones over Jarawandi, Gatta, Burgi, Hedri, Koti and Kotmi police stations had kept the cops on toes. Police had also fired on one of the drones when it had come too close to the police station.
Intelligence and security experts feel the drones sighted in Gadchiroli were used by some operator who was technically sound and skilled in handling such gadgets.
Though Maoists have never accepted the use of drones, they had in the past blamed Chhattishgarh police for having dropped explosives on tribal on the pretext of anti-Maoist operations.
Though the Maoists’ use of drone has remained a suspense so far for the security agencies, experts feel the rebels are trying to collect information regarding the strategic locations of the police stations, their interiors and strengths and loopholes apart from security positions. “More than attacking, Maoists are now using drones for police station surveillance and planning purposes only,” said a senior official of security agency.