'Drone waale chor' create panic in Uttar Pradesh: Who are they and what we know so far

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Panic has gripped the Kanpur Dehat area of Uttar Pradesh after 'drone waale chor' have created havoc. But who are these 'drone waale chor'? Well, if reports are to be believed, thieves in the area are using drones to scout homes before making moves to rob them.

News18 said that it initially started as a rumour in Western Uttar Pradesh but slowly snowballed into a state-wide issue with panic gripping residents and also triggering mob assaults and vigils at night. Moreover, it has also caused police to launch a crackdown in a bid to identify who is behind this.

According to the report by News18, a mentally unstable beggar was lynched by villagers who mistook him for a drone-linked thief. Meanwhile, in Ghaziabad's Modinagar, a man who was visiting his partner from Hapur was beaten by a mob for allegedly operating a drone even though none was found with him.

Even in Bulandshahr, a man was stripped and assaulted after people spotted a blinking light in the sky. Police intervened in Hardoi when a mentally unstable youth was tied to a tree under similar suspicions.

Police have reported that in mid-July, people reported "sightings" of drones from Moradabad, Sambhal, Rampur, Bijnor and Meerut, amongst other cities in Uttar Pradesh.

However, DIG (Meerut Range) Kalanidhi Naithani has confirmed that no theft has been conclusively linked to drones so far. “Drone sightings have been reported for over a month now, but they have no proven connection to organised crime," he said, adding, “This hysteria is being driven by rumours".

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, during a high-level law and order review last week, directed police to maintain a drone register and impose a ban on unauthorised night flights. He warned that anyone spreading rumours or using drones to create panic would face action under the Gangster Act, adding that provisions of the NSA could also be invoked if required.