Two youth booked for flying drones in South Mumbai' Ballard Pier

Two youth have been booked by the MRA Marg police after they were caught flying drones at Ballard Pier in South Mumbai at night. The accused have been identified as Huzaifa Idris Muktiyar, 26, a resident of Napean Sea Road and Yusuf Firoz Lokhandwala, 26, a resident of Khetwadi.

According to police, flying drones in Mumbai has been banned by police for security reasons and special permission needs to be sought before flying one. This duo did not have the necessary permissions.

Police said the youth were spotted by a police constable who was out on a night patrol at Ballard Pier. When interrogated, they revealed they had not sought permission to fly the drones and were doing it just for fun. They claimed to have purchased it for Rs 1,200, a police officer from MRA Marg station, said.

"We then recorded the statements of both the accused and informed them about the reasons behind the ban. On a monthly basis, we issue notices to inform people about it. We have booked the two under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code," he added.

Drones, para-gliders, and microlight aircraft are banned in Mumbai for safety reasons as police have received intelligence inputs multiple times stating how terrorists may use such equipment to plan a strike.