THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city police have cleared a South Korean female tourist of any wrongdoing in the incident involving a drone spotted flying over the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram on April 10.
Initially, the police had been suspicious of the woman, who is also a vlogger, and sought information about her from the Immigration Bureau, believing she might be responsible for the drone’s presence near the temple.
However, following further investigation, authorities found that she was at a hotel near Kovalam when the incident occurred, ruling her out as a suspect.
“The woman has already left the country and was found to be nowhere near the temple when the drone was detected in the restricted area,” said a police officer.
The Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple is classified as a high-security zone where flying drones is strictly prohibited.
Police are now looking into the possible involvement of students from a nearby aviation institute who may have unintentionally flown the drone into the restricted area. Footage from the incident revealed an emblem on the drone that resembled that of the institution, leading investigators to believe it may have been used for academic purposes.
According to reports, the drone was first spotted crossing the Padmatheertham pond and flying up to ‘Kizhakke Gopuram’ before returning. The incident was reported by on-duty policemen to the control room around 10 pm.