You can't fly a drone within Mumbai limits till August 2, say Mumbai police

The Mumbai police on Wednesday used their discretionary power and issued a blanket ban on the use of drones and other unmanned flying objects in the city's airspace. The move comes after a security scare near the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) on Monday after a drone was spotted flying near the vicinity of BARC. The police identified and questioned two employees of a real estate portal in connection with the incident.

According to sources in the Mumbai police, a circular was issued by the deputy commissioner of police (operations) Sanjay Barkund under section 144 of the CRPC banning the use of drones in the city airspace. The ban comes into effect from July 4 to August 2 of 2015. According to the circular, there is always a threat that terrorists and anti-social elements could use drones to carry out terror strikes and disturb peace and harmony of Mumbai. "Till next month the use of drones and other unmanned flying objects has been banned in the city and later the ban can be extended as well," said a senior IPS officer.

Two people operated a drone near BARC on Monday, spotted by a TISS professor who recorded the entire incident on camera. He immediately alerted the Trombay police which swung into action. The police identified the two people flying the unmanned object as Shiv Kumar Shahane and Rohit Sonawane, employees of real estate web portal www.housing.com.