Drone robbery panic in up: In many districts of western Uttar Pradesh these days rumors of ‘drone robbers’ have created an atmosphere of fear. In areas like Amroha, Bareilly, Moradabad, Bijnor, Hapur, Sambhal, Meerut and Bulandshahr, people are afraid to see the lights shining in the sky at night. Rumors rapidly spread on social media named it ‘Drone Chor gang’. Local people believed that these drones are doing houses and then incidents of theft are happening. As a result, people have started patrolling with sticks and sticks overnight.
Video went viral on social media
In areas like Moradabad, Amroha and Hapur, videos of twinkling lights like drones went viral on social media, causing people’s fear to deepen. In many places, people openly claimed that they saw drones which were hovering over their area late at night. However, the investigation later revealed that in some cases these lights were tied on kites, pigeons or plastic bags. But by then the rumor had spread so much that people started thinking of every stranger as a thief.
Attack and beating on suspicion
This fear made people violent. The villagers beat up two brothers in Amroha only because they suspected that they were drone thieves. In Bareilly, a young man went to meet his girlfriend, but the villagers surrounded him and beat him mercilessly. In Hapur, a young woman was attacked by a mob as a thief. A legitimate drone team surveying the greenery near Hindon River in Meerut was beaten and handed over to the police. All these incidents took place on the basis of suspicion.
ALSO READ: Action will be given in Gangster Act on those who spread panic from drones, NSA will be done if needed, CM Yogi’s warning
Disabled person murdered, girl beaten up
The most painful incident occurred in Bhozhipura in Bareilly district, where a mentally handicapped person was beaten to death as a member of the ‘drone gang’. This was the first death which was caused by this rumor. In Sirauli, a young man was brutally beaten for two hours, while he only came to meet his girlfriend. Similarly, in the fort area, the woman from Noida was tied to the pillar and beaten because she was talking on the phone at night.
Such a rumor spread
The police and administration tried to stop these incidents. According to the Moradabad police, the complaints first came from Sambhal and Amroha. He clarified that there was no direct relationship between theft and drones. In the investigation in Hapur, it was found that the things that people considered drones were kites or plastic bags. At the same time, Muzaffarnagar police caught two youths who tied red and green lights on pigeons, which spread rumors of drones.
A young man died after falling from the roof
Social media became the biggest reason for the spread of rumors. In June 2025, videos of ‘Kachha-Baniyan Gang’ went viral in Naugawan, Amroha, after which Reiki’s talk spread rapidly from the drone. After this, an atmosphere of fear was created in the villages. People started watching sticks, poles, shovels at night. A young man died in Bijnor even when he fell from the roof, he was making a video of the drone. The villagers also considered it a conspiracy to ‘mysterious drone’.
Strict action against those who spread rumors
Police arrested 8 people who put fake drone posts on social media in Meerut. FIR has been registered in more than 15 such cases. The administration warned that the Gangster Act and National Security Act (NSA) can also be imposed on those who spread rumors. People have been asked to immediately report suspicious activities at 112. The cyber cell of the police has started an investigation by describing several viral videos as fake.
CM Yogi took a tough stand
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has taken a tough stand on this issue. He has clarified that action will be taken against those who blow the drone without permission. The DGP and Principal Secretary have been instructed to keep a strict monitoring of drone activities in all the districts. Along with this, awareness campaign is also being run in villages so that people do not become victims of rumors and attack innocent people.
ALSO READ: Arms smuggling bus smuggling through drone from Pakistan, 4 arrested in Amritsar, gang war was conspired
Drone panic
The great thing is that the police have not confirmed the use of drones in any theft or robbery so far. All incidents have been found only based on rumors and confusion. In districts like Meerut, Moradabad and Amroha, the police searched the footage of the drone and no criminal elements were revealed. Despite this, fear remains in rural areas. Seeing the drone in some areas, the children have started hiding in the houses.
Need public awareness
This fear, born in western Uttar Pradesh regarding drones, has become a serious social status. Rumors have not only damaged social harmony, but also put the lives of many innocents in danger. The police-administration is active, but now there is a need to fight public awareness, digital literacy and rumors. So that no next innocent person becomes a victim of crowd by considering a ‘drone thief’.
—- End —-