Flying drone over Jayakwadi’s reservoir lands youth in trouble

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Flying a drone over Nathsagar, the reservoir of the Jayakwadi dam, proved costly for a 26-year-old youth after the anti-terrorism branch (ATB) of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar rural police registered an offence against him for illegal aerial shooting in the notified ‘no-drone zone' near Paithan.The accused, identified as Manoj Dehade, a resident of Padegaon in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, allegedly carried out drone videography at the reservoir and shared the footage in the form of social media reels, the police said. The case was registered against him at the Paithan police station under BNS section 223, provisions of the Drone Rules, 2021, and section 10 of the Aircraft Act, 1934. Further investigation in the case is underway.According to officials, the ATB received intelligence that an individual had illegally flown a drone in the high-security Nathsagar area and uploaded the visuals online. A team led by assistant police inspector Dinkar Gore scrutinised the suspect's social media account and found videos confirming the violation. The probe revealed that Dehade visited Nathsagar on March 15, and conducted drone filming.Superintendent of police Vinaykumar Rathod said that Dehade neither sought permission from the district collector's office nor from the police department before operating the drone, making the act a clear violation of existing norms.