Ratnagiri:
A helicopter spotted at Harne-Palde in coastal Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra on Saturday evening has been identified. It belongs to a company called Global Vectra and was flying from Belgaum in Karnataka to Juhu aerodrome in Mumbai.
The police in the region expressed suspicion when they saw two unidentified persons getting off the helicopter and conducting what they called "recce of the area". The two men walked around for about five to 10 minutes after alighting from the helicopter. They then boarded it and flew towards an unidentified location.
The Maharashtra Police then began investigation to determine who rented the white helicopter. It contacted various Air Traffic Controls (ATCs) of Maharashtra and Goa and also the Navy control to get more information.
It then came out that the pilot had informed the Mumbai ATC that the chopper had developed a technical snag and therefore had to make a precautionary landing at Ratnagiri. After the error was rectified, the chopper took off.
A few weeks ago, the Maharashtra police was warned that terrorists may hijack a small plane to target the Mumbai airport.
After the alert from intelligence agencies, the police asked that all records of helicopters and planes being rented out must be carefully maintained.