Drones Brought Down by Kites in Jubliee Hills Bypoll, Police Launch Probe

Six election surveillance drones - deployed for the first time in India to track irregularities - were brought down by unidentified miscreants using kites during Tuesday's bypoll in Hyderabad's Jubilee Hills. 

What was meant to be a technological leap in election monitoring turned into an airborne drama that left officials both startled and scrambling. A total of 139 licensed drone pilots from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu were on election duty. 

But the operation took a chaotic turn when an organised kite-flying tactic was reportedly used to strike the drones in four localities - two each in



Rahmatnagar and Karmika Nagar, and one each in Madhuranagar and Shaikpet.

Each pilot, paid an honorarium of Rs 12,000, was responsible for surveillance within a 3km radius around polling stations

"Aside from a few disruptions, we managed to continue our aerial coverage," said a pilot. Inside the control room, officials monitored over 1,000 hours of video footage relayed by drones, issuing real-time instructions to field operators. 

But challenges didn't end with kites. On two occasions, unidentified persons allegedly tried to snatch drones from pilots and even intimidated operators, sources said.