Maoists Using Drones For Surveillance, Claim Maharashtra Police: Report

Maoists in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district are using drones to keep an eye on the movement of police, a senior official said on Friday.

Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles have been sighted near armed outposts and sub-police stations along the state's border with Chhattisgarh in the last few months, senior police officer of Gadchiroli range Sandip Patil told PTI.

The rebels use these devices for surveillance of police movement, he said.

In the last two days, drones were sighted at Pipripata area of Gondia district and Venkatapur in Gadchiroli district, he said.

The police are taking counter measures as per the Union government's standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with such threat, Mr Patil said.

The drones being used by the Maoists are not advanced machines but are like those used for video shooting at weddings, he said.

As per the preliminary probe, they are being sourced from Hyderabad, he said.