JHARSUGUDA: A drone camera, reportedly used by the Forest department, crash-landed near the rented house of BJP’s candidate from Brajrajnagar Assembly seat Suresh Pujari at Gandhi chowk in Belpahar here on Tuesday afternoon.
At around 2 pm, the drone camera hovered over Pujari’s residence for some time and fell down after crashing into a nearby electricity pole. After spotting the drone, the BJP leader’s caretaker raised an alarm following which Pujari informed the local police. Belpahar police reached the spot and secured the drone for investigation.
Raising suspicion regarding its purpose and origin, Pujari said the drone has been hovering in the area for the last few weeks. “This is the first encounter I’ve had with a drone. The police should conduct a thorough probe into the incident and uncover the motive behind the drone’s flight,” he said.
Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) CM Pradhan ruled out any foul play and said the drone was used by the Forest department for land survey.
Divisional forest officer (DFO) Manu Ashok Bhatt said the drone was roped in from an agency for mapping forest plantations. Attributing the incident to a mechanical malfunction, he said the drone crashed during routine surveillance activities.