3 of TMC team held for flying drone near Mamata’s helicopter
One of the arrested men says the drone was flown to take shots for uploading on the TMC social media page; police probe whether permission was obtained
Three persons have been arrested after a drone was spotted flying near the helicopter of Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal’s Malda district on Saturday (April 4).
The three were allegedly operating the drone to capture visuals of the election rally of the CM on Saturday, as the Trinamool Congress supremo was about to board the chopper for her next stop, Gazole.
“Three persons were arrested in connection with a drone coming near the helicopter of the Chief Minister during take-off on Saturday and they are being questioned. The matter is being treated seriously, given the security implications, and further investigation is underway,” an official told news agency PTI.
Arrested individuals part of TMC team
The police are probing whether the necessary permissions were obtained for flying the drone in the highly restricted area.
Some local TMC leaders said the arrested individuals were part of the team of the party candidate. One of the arrested, Noor Akhtar, said: “The drone was flown to take shots for uploading on the TMC social media page.”
Mamata had spotted the drone as she was about to board her chopper on Saturday and instructed the police to identify those behind the incident.
“The police need to keep an eye on this. Those responsible must be identified,” she said, according to local media reports.
(With agency inputs)