Drones spying on Ghaziabad? What triggered panic in UP villages as locals say, 'yahaan se aata hai…'

Economic Times

2 days ago

Drone hysteria grips Ghaziabad villages as forwarded videos spark fears of burglary reconnaissance. Despite no confirmed sightings by authorities, villagers form night patrols, armed with sticks and fueled by social media rumors. Police investigations reveal no credible evidence, but the power of forwarded fears persists, highlighting the impact of misinformation.
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'We saw it in the sky… maybe'
Roadblocks, ID checks, and rumour patrols
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No solid proof, but fears persist
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The power of forwarded fears
A wave of drone hysteria has swept through several villages in Ghaziabad , as locals take matters into their own hands, armed with sticks, megaphones, and mobile phones, after a string of forwarded videos sparked fears of burglary recces being carried out using drones.As per a TOI report, in villages like Kumhera and Amirpuri Garhi, people have formed night patrol squads, patrolling till 3am, despite no confirmed sightings of drones by the authorities.At Kumhera, villagers recall seeing blinking lights flying low over sugarcane fields and rooftops. 'It came from that side, then swooped across our village,' Mohit Kumar Sharma told TOI, pointing towards the starless sky. 'It had red and green lights,' another villager added. The group nodded in agreement, although most admitted they hadn't personally seen the drone.Instead, they rely on videos circulated in WhatsApp groups, which they claim show drones scouting empty homes. "We didn't take the video, but someone did. It's real," insists another local. Others back him up with similar stories, second-hand sightings and forwarded clips.At Amirpuri Garhi, things have escalated to roadblocks. Patrol members, some carrying axes, stop passing vehicles, demanding Aadhaar cards and asking where people are headed. 'We even call the person the driver says he's visiting, just to verify,' says one man from the group.The panic isn't limited to Ghaziabad. Similar reports have emerged from villages in Meerut, Moradabad, Amroha, and even parts of Uttarakhand, all fuelled by eerily similar forwarded videos.According to Bijendra Kumar, pradhan of both Kumhera and Amirpuri Garhi, no one has seen a drone in person, but he's allowing the night patrols "as a precaution", since the videos are "everywhere".The Ghaziabad police have confirmed that over the last weekend, they received around 12 calls about nighttime drone sightings. But police checks turned up nothing unusual. "We even posted a team in the area, but no drone was spotted," said a senior officer.One widely-shared video that sparked panic turned out to be a zoomed-in clip of a civilian aircraft, police investigations revealed.DCP (Rural) Surendra Nath Tiwari told TOI, "We've collected the videos and sent them for forensic analysis to find out where and when they were shot. So far, we've found no credible evidence of drones."Drone flying is banned in Ghaziabad under current restrictions since Operation Sindoor, and special permission is needed from the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) to operate drones. Violators can be booked under sections 223 and 351 of the new criminal code for breach of trust and endangering life.Rahul Rathi, a drone operator working with Ghaziabad police, clarified that only micro-drones under 249 grams are allowed without registration, and even these have very limited range and visibility. "You can't fly them in villages unnoticed. The operator would be very close by."Meanwhile, floodplain mapping near the Hindon river, which does use drones, only takes place during daytime and far from these villages.Despite no confirmed sightings, the villagers remain firm in their belief that drones are hovering above. Patrols continue nightly, led by worry, rumour, and mobile screens glowing with forwarded clips."The videos may be old, or not even from our area, but people believe them," said Additional CP Alok Priyadarshi, admitting that social media has outpaced reality in this case.As villagers keep their eyes glued to the skies, perhaps the real threat is not what's flying above, but what's flying across their phone screens.Inputs from TOI