A drone, suspected to have originated from Pakistan, was spotted hovering over forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. Security forces launched a search operation early Saturday, officials said.

A drone, suspected to have originated from Pakistan, was spotted hovering over forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district. Security forces launched a search operation early Saturday, officials said.

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was detected around 8:05 pm on Friday in the general area of Behrooti village in the Balakote area of Mendhar sector, PTI reported. The drone was observed moving towards the Mangalnar-Dabrote axis near the border before returning towards Pakistan, according to officials.

Army troops deployed along the LoC immediately increased surveillance in the forward areas.

Search operations in Udhampur, Kathua, Rajouri
The drone activity comes amid multiple search operations being conducted by security forces in the forested areas of Jammu and Kashmir following inputs about suspicious movement.

Police, along with the Army and paramilitary forces, launched a joint search operation across several areas of the Udhampur-Kathua forest belt on Friday evening.

The operation covered Khuban, Nagain, Khtrail, Godu Falal, Padetar, Chor Mottu, Kia, Kheba, Bhed, Marta, Joffar and adjoining areas.

Security personnel continued combing the dense forest areas as part of efforts to verify the inputs and rule out the presence of any suspected persons.