The Mumbai Police have arrested two persons from an event organising company regarding five ‘parachutes’ which were spotted near the Mumbai airstrip causing a security concern and leading to a multi-agency probe. The police said, Dharmanand diamond export company had organised a cricket tournament in Kalina which is close to the Mumbai airport. The organisers had suspended five air balloons in the air for advertising its brand.

“They suspended the balloons without seeking adequate permission and therefore, a case of negligence has been registered against them”, Joint Commissioner of Police ( Law and Order), Deven Bharti said.

The mysterious flying objects had sent security agencies to an alert. The Mumbai police had taken a suo-moto initiative to investigate the aerial objects as they are concerned with overall security. Besides the Mumbai Police, the Indian Air Force, the Central Industrial Security Force, the DGCA, the Intelligence Bureau and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security had been pressed into the investigation.

“A pilot of Jet Airways and another of Indigo noticed five of these aerial objects. An airport worker clicked their photographs. Air traffic was briefly halted by the ATC. Staff in the ATC got busy with air traffic coordination and did not spot where the aerial objects landed,” senior inspector or Nagbhire of domestic airport police said. And then started the rumour mills by the media.

There were plenty of speculation and all the print and visual media tried their level to mince their own stories without any iota of evidence. This has sent a wrong signal of fear to the people in and around Mumbai airport. Media has a responsible role while giving information. They have the responsibility to ensure that the information given by them are backed with evidences. Now-a-days, it has become a fashion to pass-on half cooked information and sensitise the issue for more Trp and circulation.

By Premji