01 October,2016 11:24 AM IST | | Suraj Ojha
At a time when Indian security agencies are on edge due to the Uri attack, suspicions were raised even further after the Customs officials seized seven US-made drones that were illegally smuggled into India
At a time when Indian security agencies are on edge due to the Uri attack, suspicions were raised even further after the Customs officials seized seven US-made drones that were illegally smuggled into India. At least one of these drones is suspected to have been smuggled in through Mumbai.
Pune-based store, Heights Next was one of the customers that bought the PrecisionHawk drones from Amit Tatke
Maharashtra has been on high alert since September owing to the festive season, which will continue till November. The situation became even more sensitive after the terrorist attack in Uri. So, when Customs officials at Pune airport caught a man smuggling in drone cameras, it set the alarm bells ringing.
These were all high-end drones made by the US company PrecisionHawk, costing a total of Rs 1.2 crore. These precision drones have the capability of carrying out aerial surveillance of large areas in no time at all.
The drones were smuggled in from Canada by Amit Tatke, an employee at the Pune-based company, Webonise Pvt Ltd.
He was arrested for the unauthorised import of the drones, in direct violation of the Customs Act, 1962 and against the regulations of the Wireless Planning and Coordination (WPC) wing of the Ministry of Communications.
Tatke revealed that he would smuggle the parts and then the assembled drones would be sold to different clients. He disclosed the names of two parties he sold the drones to - one Vikas Kumar and a Pune shop, Heights Next.
These two went on to sell the drones to various companies and individuals across the country.
Deputy Commissioner of Pune Customs, K Shubhendra told mid-day, "One drone was also seized from Webonise and company COO Saurav Mishra stated that it had been imported from Mumbai. We are verifying this."
As of now, the import and use of drones is restricted under the law, and is deemed unlawful without the necessary permits. Investigators are currently trying to figure out the link between Tatke and the clients who bought the drones.
A senior ATS officer told this reporter, "We are seriously looking into this issue and will gather all the facts and details from Customs."
