Mumbai
Sources told dna that on Saturday evening, when the Jet Airways flight 9W323 was about to leave for Ahmedabad, its pilot spotted five para-gliders around 15,000 feet above the sea level. The pilot immediately informed Air Traffic Control about the sighting. The information was then passed on to the airport police.
Updated : May 25, 2015, 06:50 AM IST
Two days after the airport officials informed local police about five para-gliders straying into the flight path of the Mumbai airport, it remains a mystery as to where the gliders have disappeared. Following the alert from the airport officials, the Mumbai police have found themselves caught in a jurisdiction issue. Since nothing "concrete" has been found to establish that the para-gliders were actually there, the police have not registered any case so far.
Sources told dna that on Saturday evening, when the Jet Airways flight 9W323 was about to leave for Ahmedabad, its pilot spotted five para-gliders around 15,000 feet above the sea level. The pilot immediately informed Air Traffic Control about the sighting. The information was then passed on to the airport police.
"We were told by the ATC that para-gliders were spotted in the air near Kurla. I immediately went inside the airport and around 6.30-6.45 pm, spotted one para-glider going towards Juhu. Within 30 seconds the para-glider was out of sight. I then informed the main police control room about this and the information was passed on to Juhu police. We have not registered any case in the matter," senior police inspector Rajendra Nagbhirey told dna.
The Juhu police went on to inform Santacruz police about the sighting.
"I saw nothing. We did searches, but none of our staff saw any para-glider. We have not registered any case," said senior police inspector Padmakar Chavan of Santacruz police station.
"I verified it with Juhu and Santacruz police stations. There are more than 50 policemen posted outside Nanavati Hospital, which is near Juhu airport, but none of them saw any glider in the air or getting grounded. Juhu airport ATC also have their air tower there. If there would have been any glider there, they would have immediately alerted the police," said assistant commissioner of police, Shivajirao Kolekar who holds additional charge of Santacruz division.
Joint commissioner of police, law and order, Deven Bharti, said the police have found no concrete clue about the incident.
Following reports from central intelligence agencies that terrorist elements might carry out an airborne attack, the Mumbai police have banned the use of drones, remote-controlled aerial missiles, para-gliders and remote-controlled micro-light aircraft in the city.